


Meet Me in the Drift

by Matty014



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Cute Uraraka Ochako, F/M, Jaeger Pilots, Jaegers (Pacific Rim), Kaiju (Pacific Rim), Kicking Kaiju Ass, Mutual Pining, Pining Uraraka Ochako, The Drift (Pacific Rim)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2020-02-09 11:37:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18637360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matty014/pseuds/Matty014
Summary: The feeling of piloting All Might was something Izuku still couldn’t get used to. The sensation of sharing a mental link with someone was such a bizarre experience. Toshinori was an experienced pilot, so sharing his mind with a relative rookie had been a blessing for Izuku. The older man knew how to put a damper on how much information he shared with the younger, allowing Izuku to adjust to the Drift with relative ease.In the Drift, now, rather than being bombarded with countless memories, Izuku found peace and comfort.“You’re relaxed, don’t tell me you’re getting soft on me!”Izuku let out a laugh as he remembered that whatever he was feeling was being shared. “Just glad that after 20 drops I’m not puking anymore.”Toshinori guffawed, his laughter booming inside the cockpit. “As am I! I’m pretty sure the tech crew would’ve killed you if you did it again. I’d rather not have to go hunting for a new co-pilot.”





	1. Oxidized Copper

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of transformative fiction based on the My Hero Academia canon and Pacific Rim canon. I thoroughly hope you enjoy!

The sound of sirens woke Izuku Midoriya from his slumber. Well, that and the furious slapping of his co-pilot attempting to hurry him out of bed.

 

“Wake up, kid! It’s time to go save the world!”

 

Izuku laughed through the grogginess. “Yes, sir!”

 

The tall, broad man laughed heartily as he finished zipping up his plug suit. How they made one in his size was still a mystery to Izuku. His co-pilot, Toshinori Yagi was quite literally a mountain of muscle, a feat even more impressive considering his age.

 

Izuku rolled out of bed and quickly doffed his sleepwear, reaching for the plug suit that hung just inside his locker. With practiced motions, he slid the skin-tight suit over his body, enjoying the way the rubber-like material flexed across his musculature.

 

“Come on kiddo, you can check yourself out later! This old man’s in a rush!”

 

The younger man blushed. “You’re not that old, sir.”

 

Toshinori clapped Izuku on the back. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me ‘Toshi’?”

 

“Sorry, si-T-Toshi.”

 

Izuku received another clap on the shoulder. “That’s more like it! Now let’s go!”

 

The duo jogged out of the bunks and down a long steel hallway. He waved quickly to the technicians and other workers who lived in the battle station as he and Toshinori passed by.

 

To think that just a year ago he was just another recruit, trying desperately to prove himself as a standout candidate from UA’s piloting program. It had been a grueling couple of years, but somehow he had proved himself to his idol, the star pilot of All Might.

 

Izuku and Toshinori rounded another corner, stepping their way through a large set of metal doors that were painted bright red, yellow, and blue. The doors closed behind them with an audible hiss and the two co-pilots stepped into the cold steel room. The hum of the fluorescent bulbs filled the air before a roaring melody began blasting.

 

The All Might ‘theme song’ began blaring as panels on the floor and ceiling opened up with a mechanical hiss. Izuku smiled broadly, despite having gone on a couple of dozen missions with Toshinori this exact way, he never got tired of the sensation of having the armor of his Jaeger suit bolted into place over him. 

 

That and the music, he would be hard-pressed to admit out loud how many times he’d listened to the song over the years. 

 

With a small thump, he felt himself drop to the floor alongside Toshinori. 

 

“Ready, Young Midoriya?”

 

Izuku glanced over his left shoulder, giving the taller man a sharp nod and a grin.

 

“Let’s go save the world.”

 

* * *

 

The feeling of piloting All Might was something Izuku still couldn’t get used to. The sensation of sharing a mental link with someone was such a bizarre experience. Toshinori was an experienced pilot, so sharing his mind with a relative rookie had been a blessing for Izuku. The older man knew how to put a damper on how much information he shared with the younger, allowing Izuku to adjust to the Drift with relative ease.

 

In the Drift, now, rather than being bombarded with countless memories, Izuku found peace and comfort. 

 

“You’re relaxed, don’t tell me you’re getting soft on me!”

 

Izuku let out a laugh as he remembered that whatever he was feeling was being shared. “Just glad that after 20 drops I’m not puking anymore.”

 

Toshinori guffawed, his laughter booming inside the cockpit. “As am I! I’m pretty sure the tech crew would’ve killed you if you did it again. I’d rather not have to go hunting for a new co-pilot.”

 

A small stream of memories came flooding through Izuku’s mind, various snippets of Toshinori and a tall, skinny man having disagreements. Izuku knew that Toshinori’s previous partner and he had split due to the pair no longer being drift compatible enough to pilot All Might anymore, but the man had shared very little else with Izuku. It seemed like a touchy subject, and Izuku didn’t want to pry.

 

Although.

 

Izuku supposed if Toshinori hadn’t split with his old partner, he wouldn’t be here, piloting a 7000-ton mech several miles off the coast of Japan.

 

The whir of the machinery had become so familiar that the young man had to strain at times to hear it anymore. 

 

**“Noumu spotted just up ahead, prepare for contact.”**

 

Izuku felt Toshinori’s mind pulling at his own, and the two men reacted in unison, raising both fists in a defensive pose. The display on the inside of All Might flashed red, and the sensors zeroed in on a shape quickly surging through the water. 

 

The hulking mass broke through the water and Izuku reconsidered his earlier comment about not needing to throw up. No matter how many times he encountered a Noumu, Izuku didn’t think he’d ever grow accustomed to how disgusting the things were. 300 feet of rippling black muscle and grotesque proportions towered in front of All Might. Years of study had been fruitless in discovering  _ exactly _ what the creatures were or where they came from, but all sources were in agreement on one thing: they were horrifying.

 

This one looked almost… bird like. Its face had a distinctly conical shape with rows of razor-sharp teeth lining the interior. Its two beady eyes swiveled in different directions akin to a chameleon, but the part that Izuku always had trouble with was the tops of the creatures heads.

 

Like all the rest, this Noumu’s head pulsed and glowed with an eerie red light, it’s almost humanoid presenting brain exposed and causing one half of the Jaeger piloting team inside All Might to have the sudden urge to toss his lunch.

 

“Hey, keep it together, kid! It’s time to go to work!”

 

Izuku shook off his nausea as best he could and reared back in time with Toshinori to deliver their first attack. 

 

**“TEXAS SMASH!”**

 

The chambers and pistons on All Might’s right side began condensing, creating tension, and with a burst of jet fuel from the elbow, the mechanical fist came roaring through to deliver a heavy first hit on the charging Noumu.

 

The fist connected with a sickening crunch as several hundred tons of metal collided with the monster’s face, caving the ‘beak’ in and sending teeth flying. The monster let out a horrifying scream that seemed to be muffled by the fact that its mouth was mostly caved inward. 

 

“Alright, let’s finish this thing with one more punch!” 

 

Izuku felt Toshinori begin to cross his arms into an ‘X’ and moved his own in unison, straightening his hands into blades and engaging the wrist blades from the tops of All Might’s forearms.  **“CAROLINA-”**

 

The motion was cut off as a hulking fist came soaring into All Might’s midsection, throwing the two pilots off balance.

 

“What the hell? That thing shouldn’t be ab-” Toshinori was silenced by another punch, this time to the mech’s head.

 

Izuku felt himself lose balance, both he and Toshinori stumbling backward as All Might fell onto its rear. 

 

The duo righted themselves quickly, forcing All Might into a sitting position and up to standing with practiced ease. As they set their gaze back on the Noumu, what they saw confused and shocked them. 

 

Chitinous-like bone realigned to form the beak of the beast, with new teeth growing in to replace those that had been lost. Where just moments before there had been a destroyed, monstrous face, now stood a perfectly restored Noumu, standing there as if it hadn’t just taken a jet-powered right straight to the face.

 

“Did it just regenerate?” Izuku asked in horror. “We’ve never seen a Noumu with those kinds of capabilities!”

 

Toshinori grunted, clearly trying his best to come up with a way to beat a Noumu that could heal itself. “There has to be a limit. We just need to wear it down.”

 

Izuku nodded. “Got it.”

 

“Let’s see how much this think likes plasma.”

 

All Might cocked its left arm similar to a pump action shotgun, the hand splitting in half before twisting into something akin to a tuning fork before white-hot plasma began arcing through it. 

 

**“DETROIT SMASH!”**

 

The plasma cannon connected as All Might delivered a furious punch downward, allowing gravity to do most of the work. The Noumu raised an arm to deflect the attack, but the searing heat managed to burn through the arm, shearing the monster’s forearm clean through.

 

The appendage dropped into the water, disrupting the surface with a heavy crash.

 

Just as soon as it dropped, however, the surface began to bubble and ropes of muscle fiber shot forth, generating a new limb in seconds. 

 

“...Shit.” Izuku and Toshinori cursed in unison, each racking their brains for ideas.

 

_ ‘Maybe there’s a limit to how many times it can regenerate?’ _

 

“Agreed!” Toshinori shouted, latching onto the thought coming from Izuku. 

 

Once again All Might crossed its arms, engaging the dual wrist blades. Toshinori smiled broadly. “Let’s see how many times it can regrow when it keeps getting cut up!”

 

Izuku felt the years of experience Toshinori possessed flow through his own mind. Muscle memory came into effect as he brought his arms up to protect his face. 

 

Noumu began swinging wildly, each punch deflected as best as the two pilots could manage. The mech ducked under one large swing, uppercutting with wrist blade engaged. The heated metal pierced the underside of the Noumu’s jaw, allowing All Might to bring its fist up higher and freeing its left arm to repeatedly jab the monster in its exposed midsection. 

 

“Let’s hit it with some more plasma!” Toshinori shouted, engaging the plasma cannon. The fingers whirled once again, and the Noumu was jabbed several more times in what the pilots hoped were vital organs.

 

The Noumu’s chest exploded with a scream and the monster went down hard into the water, spraying more neon blue blood over All Might’s chassis. 

 

“Did that do it?” Izuku turned toward Toshinori. “Did we win?”

 

Toshinori glanced back. “I’m not su-”

 

The older man’s thought was cut off as a foreign object pierced the cockpit, sending shrapnel flying and electrical wires sparking. 

 

Izuku felt the disorientation of sparks of electricity rippling through his helmet and obscuring his vision. “Toshi?”

 

“IZUKU WATCH OUT!” 

 

Izuku felt his body react in time with Toshinor’s shout as he forced himself to the right, only to feel a shocking jolt through his abdomen. He quickly glanced down, expecting to see something, but there was nothing there.

 

Which could only mean.

 

He glanced to his left, seeing Toshinori gasping for air, a large chunk of shrapnel protruding from his stomach. 

 

“TOSHI!” Izuku lifted his arms to his control panel, his finger hovering over his own disengage switch. “I’ll be right there, let me help you.” 

 

The cockpit shook again as All Might took another hit.

 

Izuku could feel the pain emanating from his own stomach as he struggled to breathe.  _ ‘Need to help Toshinori. Need to save him.’ _ Izuku felt his vision cloud over as the pain worsened. He could feel Toshinori fighting to stay conscious.

 

“Izuku- You n-need to go. T-take the escape pod.” 

 

Izuku’s eyes flared wide as he heard Toshinori speak through the pain.

 

“Toshi.”

 

“Just g-” the older man began coughing loudly, globules of blood spraying the inside of his helmet. The man reached a shaky hand up to pull the object off. “Go. Run. Please.” He stared with pleading eyes at Izuku, and the younger man could feel it.

 

Toshinori intended to pilot alone.

 

“Toshi no, it’s suicide!”

 

The older man’s hand shook as he attempted to override Izuku’s controls, but Izuku could feel his concentration fading as he began to fade into unconsciousness again.

 

_ ‘He can’t do this alone. I need to…’ _ Izuku’s eyes searched around the cockpit, mind working furiously to come up with a plan. His eyes settled on his control panel, and that’s when he saw it.

 

“I’m sorry, Sir!”

 

Izuku’s hand moved fast, entering his own input code and severing his neural link with Toshinori as he took on full control of All Might.

 

The sensation immediately overwhelmed him. He was conscious of every moving part, in addition to the gnawing of the Noumu on All Might’s abdomen. 

 

A warm trickle of blood began to flow out of his nostril as his head pounded with the strain.

 

_ ‘Just gotta-”  _ Izuku charged up his right plasma cannon, rearing it back and aiming his reticle at the Noumu. That’s when he noticed what the creature had speared them with.

 

It had broken off a rib and pierced the cockpit with it.

 

But that also meant its internal organs were exposed.

 

Izuku brought his right arm down, aiming for the exposed core of the beast. The flex of the machinery echoed through Izuku’s own muscles. 

 

Then a blinding pain tore through his arm, along with the shearing of metal. Izuku screamed in pain as his helmet flashed red. The pilot cracked an eye open as alarms blared in his ears. 

 

The screen in front of him showed All Might’s right arm completely dark, and a quick glance down showed that the mecha’s appendage had been removed completely. Izuku’s own arm had gone limp and he was unable to derive any sensation from it.

 

Through the pain, he set his sights back on the monster before him. It was still exposed, too preoccupied with gnawing on the stump of All Might’s shoulder to notice Izuku tensing his left arm.

 

_ ‘If it noticed the-’ _ he winced as electricity crackled through his shoulder in response to the pain.  _ ‘-the arm. I need to aim-’ _ Izuku looked at the pulsing brain of the Noumu.  _ ‘Gotta aim bigger.’ _

 

Izuku felt his adrenaline surging as he engaged the plasma cannon on his left arm. Before he could think twice, he swung the arm up and around to fire a blast straight into the Noumu’s skull. The monster screamed in protest, releasing All Might and allowing Izuku to step back.

 

Taking stock of the Noumu, the creature was stunned but not down. Its rib cage was still partially exposed, and in its claws, it was still holding All Might’s right arm.

 

Wait.

 

“Computer, how much ammunition does each arm contain?”

 

**_“Each arm contains one plasma fuel cell in addition to 10 rockets.”_ **

 

“Target them for me, please.”

 

**_“Targeting.”_ **

 

Izuku’s vision blurred, but he could faintly see the orange lights glowing on his screen, indicating the location of several deposits of ammunition on the arm.

 

“Rockets, lock on.”

 

**_“Locking on.”_ **

 

“Fire.”

 

Izuku’s shoulders shuddered as All Might shot off several missiles at the dismembered arm. The second they made an impact, they began exploding, triggering a chain reaction that engulfed the entirety of the Noumu in white-hot flame.

 

All Might was knocked back by the shockwave, Izuku too exhausted by the strain to react. The last sensation he was aware of was the trickle of water as All Might hit the surface.

 

Then blackness took him.

 

* * *

 

“-still aren’t sure if he’ll even wake up. But once he does, we don’t know how he’ll react.”

 

Izuku grumbled as a foreign voice interrupted his sleep.

 

“Ranger! Ranger, can you hear me?”

 

The young man reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes, only to feel a material that was decidedly  _ not _ his hand do it for him.

 

“Wha-” Izuku shifted, sitting up slowly, every muscle in his body aching in protest.

 

“Ranger, I need you to remain calm, we did the best we could, but it’s going to be a bit of a shock.”

 

“I don’t understand.” Izuku’s voice felt like sandpaper against his dry throat. His emerald eyes blinked open, struggling to adjust to the artificial light of the room. “Where am I? Where’s-”

 

Eyes snapped wide open as the flood of memories hit him. “Where’s Toshi!?”

 

“Relax Midoriya, please. The Marshal is fine.” The dry voice of Officer Aizawa helped ground Izuku. “Thanks to your reckless behavior, you were able to finish the fight before he lost too much blood. He’s in recovery right now, has been for the past two weeks.”

 

Izuku’s brain lurched. “Two weeks!?”

 

Aizawa nodded. “And that’s not all. This might be a shock, but the sooner you accept it, the better.” The man gestured to a mirror in the room, and only then was Izuku able to take stock of his appearance. His torso was littered with new scars, all seeming to pale in comparison to the patch of metal the was grafted into his shoulder. In place of his right arm now hung what Izuku could only assume to be a prosthetic.

 

“M-My arm?” He raised the palm, flexing the digits as if they were his own.

 

“Losing the arm off of All Might while you were in sole control of the Jaeger caused a chain reaction. All the bones in your arm were essentially a powder, it’s amazing that you didn’t pass out from the pain. The skin was charred beyond any third-degree burn the medics had seen.” His voice took on a slightly more sympathetic tone. “I’m sorry. The doctors did all they could, but they felt the best course of action was to amputate the limb.”

 

Aizawa gestured to the prosthetic. “Doctor Shield assures me that the arm is her finest work. She did everything in her power to outfit the limb with neural pathways and sensors. It’s not perfect, but it should operate as well as your old arm.”

 

Izuku pressed each finger to his thumb, and to his surprise, he was able to register the pressure. It wasn’t perfect, he had no sensation of texture, but the pressure was there in a way that his brain was able to understand. 

 

“I…”

 

The officer nodded. “I know this has to be a lot to take in. Once you run some tests, we need to get you back into shape.”

 

“Sir?”

 

Aizawa turned and began walking out of the room. 

 

“Marshal Toshinori is officially retired. Time to find you a new co-pilot.”


	2. Titanium Alloy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku gets to try out his new appendage

“Aizawa, I need to see Toshino- I mean the Marshal first.” Izuku had shelved his current body dysmorphia regarding his arm, electing to give that the time it needed for him to have a full freakout. Currently, he was focused on the absence of his co-pilot.

 

The officer groaned. “Fine, but we need to make it quick. Your selection process needs to happen as quickly as possible so we can begin training a new co-pilot on how to pilot All Might.”

 

Izuku felt a shudder as he remembered the pain he experienced as All Might was ripped to pieces. “Is All Might going to be operational any time soon?”

 

Aizawa glanced over his shoulder as he continued leading Izuku down a hallway. “It sustained heavy damage, we almost scrapped it until one of our engineers gave us her guarantee that she could repair it. At the end of the day, Mei Hatsume is one of our best, she’s already made an astounding amount of progress.”

 

Izuku blinked. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered being shouted at by a pink-haired engineer for wrecking something while he was still a cadet. “Right.”

 

Aizawa paused before a door at the end of the hallway. “Just so you know, Marshal Yagi doesn’t quite look himself. It might come as a bit of a shock.”

 

Izuku gulped before walking through the door. The pristine white room was nearly blinding, various charts and monitors all plastered around the edges of the room. In the center was a bed, and propped up was a man Izuku hardly recognized.

 

“...Toshi?”

 

The gaunt man opened his eyes, dark shadows filled every cavity of his face, giving him a sunken appearance. His normally groomed hair was shaggy and messy, and two bangs cascaded down his face to frame his deep-set eyes.

 

“Young Izuku?” The eyes widened, and under the heavy brows, Izuku could still see two bright blue eyes. “Thank the heavens you’re alright. How are you feeling, my boy?”

 

Izuku surged forward before stopping himself. He’d nearly flung himself on Toshinori before noticing the cast of bandages that encircled the man’s midsection. “I’m… you’re not seriously worried about me, how are you?”

 

Toshinori waved a weak hand nonchalantly. “Could be worse. Missing most of my stomach and parts of my lungs, but I’m still alive.” He coughed weakly into his hand, where Izuku could see some red staining the pale skin. “I’ve been worried about you, you’ve been in a coma for a while now.”

 

Izuku raised his right hand slowly. “Guess I’m all patched up now.”

 

Toshinori frowned. “I’m sorry, son. I should have been more careful. If I had been, you wouldn’t have had to fight for both of us.”

 

Hot tears began to sting at Izuku’s eyes. “This isn’t your fault. Please don’t blame yourself, sir. All that matters is that we made it back and that _thing_ didn’t.”

 

The once broad man reached a hand up to ruffle Izuku’s hair. “You’re right.” he caught Aizawa’s expression before dropping his hand again. “I’m afraid though that my piloting days are done. I’d be remiss if I kept you here too long when you have to find a new co-pilot.”

 

Tears began to flow unbidden from Izuku’s eyes. “I don’t know if I can do this without you, Toshinori. I’m not strong enough.”

 

The older man shook his head. “You stop that. You’re stronger than you know. Stop underestimating yourself, I know you’re going to do great things, kid. I’m just grateful I’m alive so I can see them.” He patted Izuku on the shoulder. “Now go, I won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.”

 

Izuku sniffled, wiping his face with his left arm before standing and giving his mentor a bow. He then followed Aizawa out of the room and back out to the base.

 

* * *

 

The blonde doctor examined Izuku’s arm with interest. “Everything seems to be in working order. How are you feeling?”

 

The pilot flexed the foreign appendage, still unused to the mechanical click in his joints. “It feels… I honestly don’t know. I still haven’t fully processed that my arm is gone.” He closed his hand into a fist before relaxing it. “I’m just grateful to you for making it so I can still pilot a Jaeger. Thank you, Doctor Shield.”

 

The woman gave a quick smile before returning to her examination. “To be honest, I hoped we could save your actual arm, but the amount of damage you sustained is unlike anything we’ve seen before. It was as if it had been severed and crushed. I’m amazed you were able to stay conscious with that much of a shock to your system.”

 

Izuku sighed. “I think the adrenaline kept me from passing out.”

 

“Well, in any case, I need to run some tests to check your reaction time so we can calibrate the arm properly.” The doctor stood back, reaching for a tablet before gesturing to a door. “If you’ll follow me.”

 

Izuku hopped off the examination table and followed behind the doctor as she led him into a wide, open room. It vaguely reminded him of the sparring rooms at the academy.

 

Dr. Shield produced a remote from her lab coat, pressing a series of buttons and causing a panel in the wall to open. From the opening, a Wing Chun dummy came rolling out.

 

The Ranger raised a skeptical eyebrow, ready to ask the doctor if this was it, but just as he opened his mouth, the dummy began to spin, several sections separating and turning aggressively as the object approached Izuku.

 

“Right.” Izuku dropped into a fighting stance, flexing his new, foreign appendage as he readied himself to parry the blows from the whirring machine.

 

Izuku blocked the first strike with his left arm, rearing his arm back to counterattack with his right, feeling the unfamiliar joints clicking as he delivered his attack. The wood immediately shattered under his fist, which would have been satisfying if the elbow didn’t lock up. Unable to move his arm out of the way, another one of the dummy’s appendages swung out and hit Izuku squarely in the stomach, sending the young man sprawling back and landing squarely on his rear.

 

“Ow.” Izuku laid back, flexing his shoulder so that the locked up arm wouldn’t get in the way of him resting.

 

Dr. Shield turned the dummy off before kneeling next to Izuku. “It appears the arm still has some kinks to work out. This was always going to just be the prototype. The final arm should be much more streamlined.”

 

Izuku sighed. “Thanks, Doctor. I appreciate all you’ve done for me already.”

 

“Of course, my father is a good friend of the Marshal…” her voice wavered. “It’s the least I can do considering you brought Uncle Toshi home.” When he got a look at her face, there were tears in her eyes. She gently reached for his shoulder joint, disconnecting the arm from the mesh-like metal that now blended into his skin.

 

Izuku felt a slight pinch as the nerve endings severed, leaving him with an odd phantom pain.

 

“I’ll keep working on this. For now, I’m afraid you’ll have to make do without anything.”

 

Izuku stood up slowly, careful not to rush as his balance wavered without a second arm. “I really appreciate it, Dr. Shield.”

 

The blonde woman smiled at Izuku, shifting her glasses to wipe her eyes. “Just Melissa, please, Ranger.”

 

The young man smiled back. “Then please call me Izuku.”

 

* * *

 

“Tsu! There you are.” The young brunette woman approached her friend, grateful that she found a friendly face in the crowd that gathered in the large facility.

 

“Hey, Ochako, glad you made it in time.” Tsu put a finger to her chin. “This place sure is big, isn’t it?”

 

Ochako looked around, marveling at the sheer size of the landing bay. The Pan Pacific Defense Corps wasted no expense back when they first built the Tokyo Shatterdome. The enormous facility housed several Jaegers and was the home of All Might, widely considered to be a symbol of peace to the entire world.

 

Tsu nodded slowly. “It sure is, I think the registration is this wa-”

 

**_“Move it, Extras.”_ **

 

A tall, broad form stormed his way past the slowly condensing line of cadets. Blonde, spiky hair and crimson eyes stared down the new recruits who seemed to jump before a handful caught sight of the logo on the back of the man’s leather jacket.

 

“Woah! That’s the pilot of Ground Zero!”

 

A quiet murmuring began rippling through the small crowd as the pilot made his way into the Shatterdome, tailed close behind by a similarly built man with spiky, ruby red hair wearing an identical jacket.

 

“Slow down Bakubro!” He turned to the crowd. “Sorry about him, he’s just cranky.”

 

“SHUT UP, SHITTY HAIR!”

 

‘Bakubro’s’ co-pilot laughed heartily before offering another apology to the crowd and continuing to tail after the grouchy blonde.

 

Ochako snorted. “ _He’s_ a pilot?” her eyes followed the blonde man through the door. “Who the hell could possibly drift with him?”

 

“Apparently someone who needs to apologize for him,” Tsu replied with a giggle.

 

“So do you know why we’re all here?” Ochako turned back to Tsu, putting her hands in the pockets of her jumpsuit. “The LT didn’t say anything except that we all the cadets’ attendance was mandatory at 0800.”

 

Tsu blinked, about to respond before something behind Ochako caught her attention. “Wait. Is that…” The young woman pointed up to a large pile of scrap being hauled in through the large doors. Under the sizable tarp that covered the scrap, a familiar red, blue, white, and yellow paint job could be seen.

 

_‘All Might!?’_

 

* * *

 

Izuku flexed the new arm Melissa had built for him. It was considerably more streamlined than the initial design. The arm almost looked as if he were wearing a segmented, metallic sleeve over his lost arm.

 

“This is incredible, Melissa.” Each flex felt like it was natural, almost organic.

 

The young woman smiled wearily. “I’m glad, Izuku. I’ve been working non-stop for the past couple of days with my dad and Hatsume from engineering. This new arm should respond just as well as your real one.”

 

Izuku smiled broadly as he punched the Wing Chun dummy and shattered the machine.

 

“Okay, maybe a _little_ better than your real arm.” Melissa pressed a button on her remote and more practice dummies and targets entered the room, positioning themselves randomly throughout the practice area.

 

With manic glee, Izuku darted around the room, punching every obstacle that came into his path with practiced precision. The new arm really was just as responsive as his missing limb, with the added bonus of being incredibly durable.

 

The young man, panting slightly and covered in sweat, turned to the doctor, providing a bow before reaching out to shake the woman’s hand with the prosthetic that, fortunately for him, _didn’t_ sweat. When his hand clasped around hers, he felt the pressure, the shape. Even if he couldn’t feel the texture, he was ecstatic to find that he had enough sensation in the arm to be cognizant of the world happening around it.

 

“Really, _thank you,_ Melissa. This means the world to me.”

 

The doctor smiled drowsily, patting Izuku on his good shoulder before yawning and stretching. “That’s good, just let me know what paint job you want and it’ll be all done.”

 

Izuku cocked his head, looking down at the chrome arm and realizing that the object was fairly shiny, probably a little distracting. “What do you think?”

 

“Hm…“ Melissa looked Izuku up and down, examining him from head to toe. “I think I have just the thing.” The woman reached forward, disconnecting the arm with another pinch before taking it back into the lab.

 

Izuku took a seat on one of the benches, waiting patiently as he listened to the sounds of mechanical hissing coming from the other room.

 

Roughly five minutes later, Melissa returned with the same arm, but now the object sported a matte black finish with green accents along the major joints. “What do you think?”

 

“Honestly? I was expecting red or blue or something.”

 

Melissa shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that could work, but I figured this would match your hair. It’s very… you.”

 

The arm was reattached with another pinching sensation, Izuku feeling the slow rush of the electrical impulses firing with his organic neurons, almost as if he was booting up a computer. Within a couple of seconds, the arm was synced up and he was able to begin flexing it again.

 

“I like it.”

 

Melissa yawned again. “That’s good, I’m gonna go get some sleep. You should probably check in with Aizawa, he wanted to see you when you were ready.”

 

Izuku nodded, giving the doctor his thanks one more time before stepping out of the lab and into the hallways. He pulled his jumpsuit back over his torso, zipping it up and enjoying the fact that his newest prosthetic fit comfortably under his clothing.

 

Turning down the hall, Izuku began making his way to Aizawa’s office, wondering what the Officer had for him toda-

 

“DEKU.”

 

_‘Oh shit.’_

 

Izuku turned around to see a familiar blonde man making a beeline for him. “Hey, Kaccha-”

 

The blonde man, Katsuki Bakugo, pushed a hand into Izuku’s chest, taking a fistful of his jumpsuit and pinning him against the wall. “This is all your fault, _Deku.”_ He spit the name out like it was a curse.

 

“What are you talking about?” Izuku had seen Katsuki mad before, but this was different.

 

Katsuki punched the wall next to Izuku’s head. “It should have been _me_ in there. If it had, the old man would still be…” He glanced up, staring into Izuku’s eyes. “You dropped the ball. You never should have been piloting a Jaeger in the first place. And now they’re pulling all this shit to find _you_ a new co-pilot!?” he snarled. “This is bullshit, you’re a weakling and you’re just gonna get yourself and some other extra killed.”

 

Izuku put his new prosthetic hand over Katsuki’s wrist, squeezing gently. “We did the best we could, but we were overwhelmed. I did everything I could to keep the Marshal alive.” He noticed Katsuki’s eyes widening at the feeling of the metallic hand. “I lost plenty, but I’m still here. It won’t happen again.”

 

Katsuki’s eyes flashed up to Izuku’s before clicking his tongue and releasing the other man. “Just stay out of my way, Deku.” He then turned on his heel and began walking away.

 

Izuku took a steadying breath before smoothing out his jumpsuit and continuing to walk toward Aizawa’s office.

 

* * *

 

“Midoriya, you’re here.” Aizawa rose to shake Izuku’s hand, pausing for a moment to turn the metallic surface of Izuku’s prosthetic over in his hand as they clasped. “Are you fit for duty?”

 

Izuku nodded. “Got the all clear from Dr. Shield.”

 

Aizawa nodded approvingly before sitting back down in his chair and pulling a file from his desk and slamming it on top. “So, we’ve been going through all the applicants. None of them knows the position they’re actually applying for. New cadets fresh from the academy.” The officer leafed through the pages, dozens of pages with psych profiles and lists of achievements, skills, and other quirks were listed next to a picture of the recruit.

 

“We’ve been comparing psych profiles to your own based on interviews and scans of their performances in mock training battles. We’ve narrowed down the list to only those that have a high probability of being Drift compatible with you.”

 

Izuku sat down across from Aizawa, slowly leafing through the pages of applicants. “I saw Kac- Bakugo earlier. Is he here for the same reason?”

 

Aizawa snorted. “You two had some of the lowest Drift compatibility numbers on record. Honestly, with the fits he’s been throwing, I’m gonna bet that if you two tried to pilot a Jaeger together, the thing would explode.”

 

“Yeah… that-” Izuku chuckled dryly, “that’s probably for the best.”

 

“That being said, now that you’re ready, we can begin trying out the different candidates. Go ahead and grab some lunch, most of the finalists are in the facility already, we’ll make the call and reconvene in training bay gamma in two hours.”

 

Izuku stood before nodding his head. “Yes, Sir.”

 

* * *

 

Ochako studied the room carefully. None of them had any idea why they were still around, she was just glad Tsu was still with her. The cafeteria was fairly large, well stocked with a variety of foods and served as a hub for a large portion of the Shatterdome. Ochako and Tsu had tried asking several of the various officers and engineers, but seemingly no one knew why the recruits had been called.

 

Whatever was going on, it was clearly not information that was being shared around.

 

The brunette was standing in front of one of the vending machines, mulling over the mystery when she felt a gentle tap on the shoulder.

 

“Um, excuse me, are you buying anything?”

 

Ochako whipped around to see a young man roughly her age standing behind her. “Oh, sorry!” She quickly stepped out of the way, allowing the man to access the vending machine with a soft ‘thank you.’

 

Ochako glanced around, noting how several engineers seemed to be stealing glances at the man standing in front of her. The man, however, seemed blissfully unaware of the attention.

 

_‘Wonder if he’s anyone important.’_

 

Deciding to take a chance, Ochako cleared her throat to get the man’s attention. “Um, hi, could you answer a quick question, er…” she focused her eyes on the man’s left breast pocket where it read ‘MIDORIYA’.  

 

“-Midoriya, sorry I don’t have your rank.”

 

Midoriya shrugged. “It’s okay, what can I help you with…” his eyes glanced to Ochako’s own pocket, “Uraraka?”

 

“Well, it’s just that no one has told me or the other cadets why we’re all here. Do you know?”

 

The man seemed to hesitate for a moment before scratching the back of his head sheepishly, tousling his close cropped green curls. His face split into a sympathetic smile. “I really wish I could tell you, but it’s classified.” He looked around for a minute before leaning in conspiratorially. “I _can_ tell you that you will be finding out in the next two hours though.”

 

Ochako stifled a giggle as the taller man leaned back away with an exaggerated wink. _‘Oh he’s adorable.’_

 

“Sorry I can’t tell you any more.” Midoriya leaned down to retrieve his lemonade from the vending machine. “But _whatever_ it is, best of luck.” He then smiled before making his way over to one of the meal counters to get his food

 

Ochako smiled to herself before rejoining Tsu.

 

The green haired woman turned to Ochako with a small smirk. “Get anything out of tall, green, and handsome over there?”

 

“Just that it’s classified and we should be finding out in the next hour or two.”

 

Tsu nodded approvingly. “Let’s hope so, the wait is killing me.”

  


True to his word, after another hour and a half, the remaining cadets were summoned from the dining hall over to some room labeled ‘Training Room Gamma.’ The room itself resembled a large dojo, with walls lined with bo staffs, a wooden floor, and soft lighting. Ochako marveled at the decor until the sound of a door opening roused her from her thoughts.

 

“Welcome, Cadets. I’m Officer Aizawa.” An exhausted looking man stepped out from an adjacent room, holding a tablet and addressing the recruits. “Today we will be conducting a simple test, one by one, to ascertain your Drift compatibility with one of our Rangers.”

 

The door opened again and out stepped Midoriya.

 

“This is Ranger Izuku Midoriya, he’s a Jaeger pilot, and today-” Aizawa paused as Izuku grabbed a staff, spinning it in his right hand experimentally and fell into a fighting stance, no longer looking like the adorable man from the mess hall and more like a trained killer.

 

“-one of you is going to become his co-pilot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is enjoying this! It's a lot of fun to write for me.
> 
> Thanks to Epsilon110 and Titus621 for beta reading this chapter
> 
> Next Time: The selection process begins


	3. Machined Aluminum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The selection trials for Izuku's new co-pilot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Pan, Titus, and Epic for beta reading this chapter

Ochako watched with a wince as Tsu had her legs swept from under her and landed with an audible thud on the ground. The green-haired ranger had reached down to help pull her back to her feet with an apologetic smile. There were some quiet words exchanged that were only for Tsu. Ochako couldn’t help but notice Tsu’s eyes seem to widen as her hand clasped the man’s right hand. Ochako had assumed it had been some kind of crazy compression sleeve, but maybe it was something else? It did look pretty cool, almost like it was made of metal or something.

 

It was mesmerizing, and not just because Midoriya was built like an MMA fighter, his muscles already glistening with sweat, causing his white tank top to cling to his-

 

Ochako fanned herself, quickly cutting off that stream of thought. She was here to prove herself, not ogle hot Rangers.

 

“Thank you, Cadet Asui, we have our data. Go ahead and rejoin the others.” Officer Aizawa dismissed her, his monotone voice echoing through the practice room. Tsu simply nodded, walking over and taking her place next to Ochako. From the group, Toru walked up and took the mat against Izuku.

 

The brunette leaned in, whispering quietly to Tsu. “You lasted longer than Mina or Yuga. How are you feeling?”

 

“His arm,” Tsu whispered back, ignoring the sound of Toru’s frustrated cry as she too went down. “I think it’s a prosthetic. He hits hard though, and every time he seemed to feel guilty. I think it’s new.”

 

Ochako’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You got all that just from your fight?”

 

Tsu shrugged in response, turning back to watch Kyoka struggle to match Izuku’s power and speed. Just behind her, Ochako could hear Denki already beginning to stress out over the fact that his match was next. The sounds of grunts and the clacking of bo staves filled the air, with the small, lithe woman matching a fair amount of Izuku’s attacks. That was until it became clear that Izuku was quite the adaptable opponent. As soon as Kyoka hit the mat, Denki seemed to lose his battle with fear and released a quiet whine.

 

Suffice to say, his match was one of the shortest.

 

Koji was next, and his first inclination was to bow to Izuku before handing the shorter man his own staff and quietly surrendering.

 

_ ‘He always has been a bit of a pacifist.’ _ Ochako noted as Koji went and spoke with Aizawa in hushed tones. The sleepy looking officer nodded silently after their conversation and gestured to the door behind him.

 

“Next, Cadet Ojiro.”

 

“Ooh this’ll be good,” Tsu whispered, “Mashirao is the best fighter in our class.”

 

Ochako recalled countless sparring sessions. Everyone dreaded being paired with the rather plain looking man in their class. He was a skilled martial artist and Ochako had no doubt that he would put up a decent fight against Izuku.

 

The two men bowed to each other before proceeding to fight. If the other matches had been fairly one-sided, this match seemed to be fairly even. That was until Ochako noticed that Izuku hadn’t actually attempted to strike back. Every attack that Mashirao levied against Izuku was dodged or parried. Whereas their blonde fellow cadet was getting increasingly exhausted, Izuku seemed calm and poised.

 

The match came to a stunning conclusion as Izuku caught a low strike from Mashirao by gripping the staff in the crook of his knee before driving it down. The staff was pulled from Mashirao swiftly, forcing the blonde man off balance. All it took was a simple push to the sternum from Izuku’s staff to cause Mashirao to land squarely on his rear on the mat.

 

“Thank you, Cadet Ojiro. You can rejoin the others.”

 

Suddenly Mashirao didn’t seem like such an intimidating martial artist anymore.

 

Both the formidable forms of Mezo and Rikkido ended up defeated on the mat, followed swiftly by the ever gloomy Fumikage, who returned to the other cadets, muttering something about banquets and darkness.

 

At last, it was Ochako’s turn. Aizawa yawned as he called her name, causing Izuku to shoot her a sympathetic look. 

 

“So,” Ochako began, kicking off her shoes and shedding her jumpsuit to her waist, tying the sleeves around to free up her arms, “you were true to your word.”

 

Izuku gave her a smile. “I told you it was classified. Didn't wanna ruin the surprise though.”

 

“No, this definitely exceeds any of my expectations. Wanna go a few rounds?” She offered an exaggerated wink similar to the one he gave her earlier.

 

The man snorted, raising his staff and tensing his muscles. “Ready when you are.”

 

Ochako responded by striking at Izuku quickly, several short jabs followed by a longer strike. All of which Izuku dodged and parried. The green haired man followed up with several strikes of his own, and Ochako found herself putting on the retreat. She could finally appreciate just how  _ fast _ Izuku was. He was downright ferocious when he wanted to be, it was a little awe-inspiring. The brunette would have taken the time to be impressed if she weren’t so focused on trying to keep up with him.

 

“Just relax,” Izuku stated, calm and focused. “I can feel something, just let yourself relax and react.”

 

Ochako grunted in response, trying her best to comply with his advice. It would have been much easier if he had let up, but it was clear that Izuku had no intention on going easier on her just because they’d had a little rapport in the cafeteria. 

 

She needed to find a way to relax…

 

Talking, talking might work.

 

“So how come I’ve never heard of you, Izuku Midoriya?”

 

The young man grinned. “I’m pretty new, only been piloting a Jaeger officially for about ten months.” 

 

“Oh yeah?” Ochako ducked under an attack, returning his advances with several severe swipes of her own. “And which Jaeger is that? Maybe I’ve heard of it.” She pressed harder, forcing  _ Izuku _ to go on the defensive for once.

 

Izuku chuckled, leaning back to dodge an attack before pushing Ochako’s staff high in the air and rolling under, gaining a new position just to her left. “And spoil the surprise? Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon enough I’m sure.”

 

Ochako laughed in response, sweeping at Izuku’s legs with her heel. Suddenly she felt an exhilaration she hadn’t felt before. It was as if she and Izuku weren’t sparring anymore, but… dancing.

 

She felt a tingling in the back of her mind, almost guiding her. She stopped reacting to Izuku’s movements and began anticipating them. For all his power and ferocity, Ochako started to notice something.

 

This whole time, Izuku had been leaving himself wide open between his attacks, just waiting for someone to notice.

 

_ ‘I have you now.’ _

 

Ochako feinted to Izuku’s left, focusing her entire mind on making a two-handed strike. Izuku reacted accordingly, but at the very last second, Ochako reached out with her left hand, pulling at Izuku’s arm and tripping him over her outstretched leg. The ranger’s eyes widened in surprise, trying desperately to recover into another roll. 

 

“Got you!” he grunted from behind her With a smirk, the young woman whipped around and leveled the staff at Izuku’s neck before he had time to fully raise his own.

 

_ “ _ Got _ you,”  _ she declared with a grin, the effects of the sparring finally catching up to her as she began panting, stray hairs clinging to the sweat on her face.

 

From his place on the floor, Izuku stared at her with an unreadable expression.

 

If she had to pick a word…

 

Adoration?

 

_ ‘No,’ _ Ochako dispelled the thought with a blush,  _ ‘he’s just hot and almost shirtless, get it together Ocha.’ _

 

Izuku set his staff down and raised his hands in defeat, a giant smile on his face. “I yield.”

 

Ochako released the grip on his left hand, reaching down to help Izuku up, help that he happily accepted.

 

“Good job,” he complimented in a low voice. He pulled the collar of his tank top up to mop the sweat at his face, giving Ochako an unintentional look at the defined abs that laid underneath.

 

_ ‘God dammit.’ _

 

Izuku dropped his collar, flashing Ochako another smile. “First time in a while I’ve had to spar that hard.” His face turned a bit more serious. “You felt it, right?”

 

“I…” Ochako felt a glimmer of excitement as it registered. “I did, does this mean we’re Drift Compa-”

 

Aizawa cleared his throat, getting everyone’s attention. “Thank you, cadets. You all did well today. The results of our selection process will be available tomorrow. For now, head back to the academy and get some rest. Dismissed.”

 

Ochako pouted as the officer gave her and Izuku pointed looks.

 

“Looks like we’ll have to talk later.” Izuku reached out to shake Ochako’s hand. Immediately she was struck by how smooth the texture on his right arm was. Tsu was definitely right, this must be a prosthetic. 

 

Izuku caught her stare and offered a small grin. “Hopefully I’ll be able to give you the whole story. But now you should listen to Aizawa before he gets on your case.”

 

“R-right.” Ochako watched as Izuku leaned down to grab a towel, slinging it across his shoulders and exiting the room.

 

The young woman rejoined her fellow cadets, all of whom were shooting her impressed glances.

 

And judging from the sideways glances that some of the women were shooting her as they looked between the door Izuku had left through and her, maybe… jealousy?

 

* * *

 

Izuku rinsed off under his shower, sending out a silent ‘thank you’ to Melissa for making the arm completely watertight. The showers at the Shatterdome weren’t perfect, but at the very least he could get plenty of hot water.

 

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. They had found some good candidates in that first bunch of cadets, much better than some of the other groups he’d had to spar against later that day. His Drift compatibility made him a good match for most people. He was open and able to read people pretty well, but it was rare that he found someone who could match his wavelength.

 

Until that brunette cadet.

 

Uraraka.

 

Izuku smiled. She was something for sure. He felt it the minute they started sparring, something clicked well. She had been able to match his attacks and with a little encouragement, she was able to read him as he read her. He let a laugh bubble out. She’d even been able to close herself off so that he  _ couldn’t _ read her movements.

 

She was perfect.

 

He shut off the water, stepping out and toweling himself off before slipping on some clean joggers and a t-shirt. After lacing up his boots and grabbing a sweater, Izuku slipped out of his room and back to Aizawa’s office.

 

“Good, you’re back.” Littered on top of Aizawa’s desk were empty coffee cups and a fresh one that was still steaming. Izuku wasn’t sure how much coffee was healthy, but something told him this might be pushing it.

 

Aizawa took a sip of his coffee before pointing to a board on the wall in his office. On it were the character profiles of the top candidates along with the officer’s best estimate for Drift compatibility.

 

In the middle, ‘Ochako Uraraka. 100%’

 

Izuku felt himself fight to suppress a cheer.

 

“So as you can see, we have a top candidate. There are others, of course, but Cadet Uraraka seems like the obvious choice.” He eyed Izuku. “What are your thoughts?”

 

“I think Uraraka makes the most sense. She was the only one I felt the full connection with.”

 

Aizawa nodded, reaching forward to stamp a file on his desk. “I thought as much, just wanted to make sure. I’ll finish filling out the request and have her relocated from the academy to a bunk here at the station. The one across from you is free now that the Marshal is staying in the command wing.”

 

Izuku felt a pang of sadness that he likely would no longer see Toshinori every day. Over the past year, the two had grown close. The man had taken a chance on him and he could never thank him enough.

 

“There’s also the matter of All Might.”

 

Izuku whipped around. “Is it salvageable? I thought it was getting repaired?”

 

Aizawa nodded. “It is, don’t worry. The funding from Yaoyorozu Inc. is making that possible. We just need to make sure the loadout on that particular Jaeger works for you and your new partner.”

 

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

 

The officer showed the shadow of a smirk. “You really need to learn to keep your composure better. You’re leading the world’s symbol of peace into the next generation.”

 

A bead of cold sweat ran down the back of Izuku’s neck. “No pressure.”

 

“Then you’d better be ready to  _ go beyond.”  _ There was no mistaking Aizawa’s slightly intimidating smile now.  _ “Plus Ultra.” _

 

* * *

 

Ochako stretched out on her bunk, feeling the stiff mattress groan in response. 

 

“Girl, you are so lucky,” Mina whined from her bunk. “Why do  _ you _ get to eye-fuck the sexy robo-arm Ranger?”

 

Ochako started coughing, sitting up abruptly to catch her breath. “What!?”

 

The pink-haired girl sat up, pointing an accusatory finger. “Don’t play dumb! The whole time he only had eyes for you! I’m so jealous!” She flopped back down dramatically. “When will a hot Ranger come and sweep  _ me _ off my feet?”

 

Toru snorted, shaking her platinum blonde hair out of her face. “Just as long as it’s not that one guy from earlier. The one with the jacket who kept yelling while we were lined up?”

 

“God, yeah, what a dick.” Kyoka pulled one of her earbuds out. “At least his partner seemed okay.”

 

Ochako quietly sighed in relief as the conversation topic changed to the different Jaegers that the cadets wished they could pilot for. The general consensus was that at least  _ half _ of the team of Ground Zero was tolerable. 

 

Ingenium was another popular pick, though none of them could imagine a better pair of pilots than the two Iida brothers.

 

Tsuyu put a finger to her chin. “I wonder which Jaeger that Midoriya guy pilots. I’ve never actually heard of him.”

 

“Ooh! Toru chirped, “Maybe he’s Endeavor’s mysterious second pilot! I heard that Marshal Todoroki had to get a new one recently.”

 

Mina blew a raspberry. “Nah, I heard he was trying to get one of his kids to do that with him or something. Midoriya doesn’t look anything like the Marshal.”

 

“Well, either way, we’ll know soon enough I guess. Ochako is definitely his co-pilot. No doubt those two are Drift compatible.” Kyoka absentmindedly picked up her acoustic and began strumming out a few chords. 

 

_ ‘Dammit,’ _ Ochako grumbled internally as the topic refocused on her. “We don’t know that! I’m sure there were other people that were Drift compatible from other cohorts.” As soon as the words left her lips, she regretted them. Just the thought that the connection she had felt was something that might not pan out hurt to even comprehend. 

 

Tsu seemed to notice, changing the subject. “Guess we won’t know until tomorrow. Maybe we should get some sleep, ladies. The rest of the dorm agreed, quietly saying their good nights and turning out their lights. Tsu gave Ochako a quick wink and a nod before turning in for the night.

 

Ochako sent a silent thank you back.  _ ‘Bless you, Tsuyu Asui.’ _

 

As the brunette leaned back for the night, her head filled with the mechanical whirring of engines and machinery. And off to her side stood the tall form of her green-eyed co-pilot.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, a letter was slipped under the door of Ochako’s shared dorm room. The stationary looked official, the type sitting on top of a sheet of paper with the Pan Pacific logo boldly emblazoned on the front.

 

“Effective immediately, Cadet Ochako Uraraka is promoted to the rank of Ranger. Report to the Tokyo Shatterdome, Officer Shota Aizawa’s office at your earliest convenience between now and 1800 hours on the date you receive this letter.”

 

The smug ‘I told you so’ looks Ochako received did little to dull her enthusiasm.

 

* * *

 

Ochako unpacked her bags into her new room. She couldn’t believe how much space she had, it was a far cry from the rather sparse bunks she was used to at the Academy. 

 

She had bid a bittersweet goodbye to her friends, assuring them that they would still meet up regularly. Mina especially had teased her relentlessly about not leaving them behind for her ‘new man.’

 

_ ‘I wonder if I should get some decorations… this place is pretty barren.’ _

 

Just as she began to figure out places on the walls where she could put pictures or posters, she heard a knock on her door. Setting down the constellation poster she was holding, Ochako went to open the door.

 

“Hey, neighbor!” Izuku’s sunny smile greeted her on the other side. He was dressed simply in a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, his feet adorned with a pair of worn reddish leather boots. 

 

He looked, once again, completely adorable.

 

“H-hey!” Ochako replied, feeling her heart leap for joy that this was all a reality and she was really here. 

 

Izuku inclined his head down the hallway. “Aizawa needs us to suit up, we’re gonna test out our actual mental link. I figured I’d come and show you where the plug suits are and get you all set up.”

 

Ochako shivered for a moment. She remembered the plug suits at the Academy. If this was anything like those…

 

Well.

 

She and her new partner were about to get very well acquainted.

 

“Right,” Ochako chirped, slipping into her boots and nodding to Izuku. “Let’s get going.”

 

Izuku led Ochako through the halls of the battle station when the brunette’s curiosity hit her full force again. 

 

“Hey, um, Rang-”

 

“Izuku.”

 

Ochako blushed. “Eh?”

 

The young man ahead of her turned around, giving her another grin. “We’re partners now, I understand if you’re not ready to return the favor, but I’d like it if you called me Izuku.”

 

“Oh…” Ochako swallowed her embarrassment and tried to appreciate just how kind and welcoming Izuku was being. “In that case, please call me Ochako.”

 

Izuku nodded his head. “Alright, Ochako, what was it that you wanted to ask me?”

 

“Er, well, I was wondering… I haven’t heard anything about any Jaeger’s needing a new co-pilot. I was just curious which Jaeger you and I are going to be piloting?”

 

“Oh,” Izuku’s smile dropped just a bit. “Yeah, we’ve been keeping it under wraps, but actually…” He walked a few steps forward, pointing out of the window in the corridor. “There she is.”

 

Ochako raced forward, looking out the window, her eyes widening and jaw dropping.

 

Red, blue, yellow, and white paint…

 

Familiar bulky design.

 

_ ‘...Is this for real?!’ _

 

“ _ All Might!? _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey! Here we are. Ochaco is now a Ranger! This story is fun to write(honestly it's the one my betas like the most too, so hey, that's fun too.)
> 
> Next Time: Ochaco and Izuku test their Drift compatibility.


	4. Wrought Iron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ochako and Izuku enter the Drift

“All Might.”

 

Izuku nodded.

 

“You.”

 

He nodded again

 

Ochako grabbed her head between her hands, fingers knotting into brown locks and holding on tight as if to ground herself. “This can’t be- you can’t- but I-” the young woman felt her knees begin to wobble but found the shock of the revelation more overpowering than her ability to stay standing.

 

Suddenly the brunette felt a firm arm slip under her armpits and hold her steady.

 

“Woah, easy.” Izuku chuckled. “Although I can’t say I blame you… I’m pretty sure I had the same reaction when the Marshal told me what Jaeger I’d be piloting.”

 

Failing to come up with words, Ochako leaned into Izuku’s frame and held on for support. She continually opened and closed her mouth, looking between the smiling and sympathetic expression above her and the gigantic mechanical marvel that was being repaired in the docking bay.

 

“Oh, Izuku!” the man’s body tensed momentarily before relaxing at the sight of a blonde woman in a white lab coat making her way toward them.

 

Izuku smiled kindly at the woman. “Hey, Melissa. Nice to see you.”

 

 _‘American?’_ Ochako didn’t know there were Americans on base. _‘Wow, she’s pretty, and they’re on a first name basis?’_

 

Melissa looked on in confusion and concern at the scene in front of her. “Is… everything okay?”

 

“Oh!” Izuku put his hand to his face in mock embarrassment. “Meet my new co-pilot, Ochako Uraraka. Ochako, this is Doctor Melissa Shield, she’s the one who patched me up and gave me the new arm.”

 

Ochako nodded quietly, finding enough strength to stand on her own legs again so she could shake the doctor’s hand with a smile. _‘Gotta remember to ask him about that when I get to know him better.’_

 

“Take good care of him, okay? I have a feeling he’s got a self-sacrificing side.”

 

The brunette giggled at Izuku’s mock offense that quickly dissolved into a noncommittal shrug.

 

“Probably guilty of that. At least if I lose any more appendages I know who to go to.”

 

Melissa scowled at that, slapping Izuku gently on his prosthetic shoulder. “ _Not_ funny, Ranger.”

 

“Oof,” Izuku winced, “back to titles, that hurts.”

 

The young doctor sighed, giving Ochako a sympathetic look before bidding the pair farewell and continuing on down the hallway.

 

“She seems nice,” Ochako commented with a small smile.

 

Izuku nodded. “Yeah, I owe her big time. Now,” he gestured to All Might, “time to suit up.”

 

* * *

 

Ochako considered herself a rather fit young woman. She trained hard, only indulged on mochi on weekends, stayed hydrated, and took care to get a decent amount of sleep each night.

 

That being said, sharing a changing room with the literal wall of muscle that was Izuku Midoriya was still intimidating.

 

 _‘I could grate cheese on those.’_ Ochako thought as she peeked the defined lines of Izuku’s abs tormenting her as she tried and failed to focus on putting on her own plug suit.

 

Apparently whoever had designed the changing rooms for All Might hadn’t counted on leaving much in the way of preserved modesty. Which was… fair considering seasoned pilots literally shared everything down to the neural link when they were in the Drift. Probably didn’t leave much privacy.

 

But _still_.

 

Ochako could feel the blush that normally stayed on her admittedly very rosy cheeks, flushing its way down to her chest. The teasing the girls back in the cadet bunks would give her if they knew the accidental peep show she was getting.

 

Izuku, for his part, was a perfect gentleman about things. He had kept his back turned to her the entire time, having promised at the beginning to “never betray the trust of my co-pilot.”

 

And true to his word, he had kept his eyes firmly closed and face trained on the wall in front of him, not really requiring eyesight to get into his plug suit. He’d assured Ochako that by this point he could “put the thing on blindfolded and half asleep.”

 

 _‘Wait.’_ Ochako thought as she wriggled to fit the skin-tight suit over her rear, managing to yank it over with a final tug and a sigh of relief before slipping her arms into the sleeves and zipping herself in. _‘Am I gonna have to get timed on how fast I can put this thing on!?’_

 

“You almost ready?” Izuku’s voice called over as he zipped himself into his suit. Despite being now fully clothed, the suit left very little to the imagination. Ochako found herself fighting to keep her eyes from roaming too much.

 

Clearing her throat to avoid squeaking, she replied with a quick “Yep! Sorry for the wait, I’m good to go.”

 

Izuku’s eyes opened and he almost immediately turned red upon looking at her. “Er, right! Let’s uh.” His face snapped to the door, very clearly doing his best to look anywhere but at her.

 

 _“That’s gonna take some getting used to,”_ Izuku muttered under his breath, just barely loud enough for Ochako to hear.

 

“This way!” Izuku led Ochako out of the changing room with an exaggerated point to the door, very quickly making his way through the doors and into the next room.

 

A very small part of the brunette was a little happy that at least she wasn’t the only one flustered by the situation. Taking that small satisfaction with her, Ochako followed Izuku into the other room where the man was already having pieces of matte black armor attached to his plug suit.

 

Izuku pointed with a finger to the set of footpads next to him. “Just stand on those and let the machines do the rest.”

 

“Right.” Ochako took a hesitant step onto the footpads, noting how high tech this all was as a set of mechanical arms began to assemble her armor around her body. Compared to the practice armor that she had to wear at the academy, this was a huge upgrade.

 

“Wait- how does this fit so well?” the young woman marveled as a breastplate that was perfectly molded to give her just enough comfort and moveability to be able to breathe easily.

 

Izuku shrugged, stepping down from his side of the station. “They probably got your measurements from the academy. That’s what they did for me back when I started piloting.”

 

Ochako felt the final clicks of the armor plating being secured around her. It was lighter than she imagined it would be and upon catching her reflection on the mirrored walls she looked…

 

_“Badass.”_

 

“Ha!” Izuku cracked a big smile at her. “Yeah it’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”

 

Ochako examined herself from different angles. “Bit of an understatement, this is incredible! So much nicer than the armor at the academy.”

 

“It totally is, now come on, we’re just through here.” the man gestured to yet another door that the duo had to walk through.

 

The room opened into a surprisingly long hallway that Ochako followed Izuku down, taking note of the bright reds, whites, and blues that adorned the walls. “Very… American?”

 

“Oh, yeah, the Marshal spent a lot of time in America. I think he likes the aesthetic.”

 

Stifling a giggle, Ochako focused on the path ahead, savoring the satisfying sound of her boots stamping on the metal floor. _‘I wonder what the inside of the cockpit is like. If it’s this patriotic here...’_

 

* * *

 

 _‘Well, that’s not what I was expecting.’_ Ochako thought to herself as she entered the cockpit just behind Izuku. She _had_ been expecting maybe some bald eagle art or perhaps some kind of retro Americana decor in the cockpit. To her surprise, the cockpit was fairly innocuous. It featured several control panels in addition to the standard foot pylons that seemed to stretch down several yards into the lower parts of the mech’s “head.”

 

Izuku took his place on the right side of the small room, removing a helmet from a small box on the floor. “Should probably toss this later,” he said to himself before turning to Ochako. “Yours should be just there. Brand new helmets, enjoy the clean smell while you can.” he gave a quick laugh, placing the object over his head and snapping his feet into the boot mounts set into the floor.

 

Ochako worried her lip in concern as she remembered a rather important detail about her new co-pilot. “Should… Should I maybe take the right side? With… you know…” she gestured to Izuku’s right arm.

 

“Oh! That.” Izuku furrowed his brow, giving Ochako a soft look. “I’ll be okay, Melissa says the arm should be able to interface just fine with the Jaeger. I shouldn’t have any issues, but if need be, I’ll let you know. Okay?”

 

The young woman nodded in assent, moving to place her own helmet over her bob and hearing a satisfying click as the helm locked into place. Her boots connected to the foot panels on the floor and she felt herself being secured to the equipment.

 

“Okay,” Izuku turned to Ochako, already holding a circular ring that Ochako recognized as the interface for All Might’s right arm. “So, the bot isn’t ready for a full field test today. Right now, we’re just going to test our Drift connection. I’m going to avoid sharing any unnecessary information so I don’t overwhelm you, alright?”

 

Ochako nodded quickly, taking hold of her own ring, securing the grip between her fingers.

 

“When we initiate the neural link, just let the memories flow on by, okay? I’m sure you’ve drifted before, but it’s more intense when you have a strong connection. Whatever you do, just don’t chase a memory, we call that ‘chasing the rabbit.’ I’ll be right there with you the whole way.” He offered Ochako a quick thumbs up and another one of his sunny smiles.

 

The young woman nodded. “Right. I’ll do my best.”

 

“That’s all anybody could ask.” Izuku turned to a central control panel, pulling it closer to him and pressing several buttons in sequence. “Aizawa, we’re ready to go in here.”

 

**“Good. We’ll be initiating the Drift sequence in 10…”**

 

Ochako gulped.

 

**“9…”**

 

_‘Don’t follow the rabbit.”_

 

**“8…”**

 

_‘Don’t follow the rabbit.”_

 

**“7…”**

 

The brunette began tuning out Aizawa’s countdown, breathing slowly and closing her eyes, trying to clear her mind and follow Izuku’s advice.

 

This should be easy, right?

 

Just like all the times she drifted with Tsu or Mina, or any of the girls in her cohort.

 

 **“3… 2… Initiating Drift** **_now._ ** **”**

 

Ochako felt her eyes snap open as something lurched inside her head and she felt herself flung backward into nothingness.

 

* * *

 

Izuku opened his eyes and found himself standing in a small room.

 

 _‘Dammit. She chased the rabbit.’_ He rapped on his helmet, testing the connection. “Hey Aizawa, she chased the rabbit. All controls are offline except neural interfacing, right?”

 

**“Correct. We knew to expect this, especially after the mess you made your first time.”**

 

Izuku shuddered at the memory. “Don’t remind me. I’m gonna find her and get us back on track.”

 

**“Roger.”**

 

The small room was adorned with a menagerie of pink decorations, star charts, and small figurines of superheroes.

 

In fact, it wasn’t all that different from his room as a kid.

 

The sounds of a conversation caught Izuku’s attention, drawing him to the door in the room. With a soft click, he exited the bedroom and stepped into a hallway decorated with several family photos featuring a smiling, happy couple carrying a tiny girl with a familiar brunette bob and rosy cheeks.

 

“...sweetie but you don’t have to worry about that right now. Mommy and Daddy are gonna be just fine, okay?”

 

 _‘A man’s voice, probably her dad.’_ Izuku followed the voice into a tiny kitchen where the same two adults were standing and looking down at a small girl that was obviously Ochako.

 

“But Daddy, I wanna help.” The tiny Ochako wiped her eyes, where small tears were beginning to form. “I can get all big and strong and ride one of those robots to help you guys with building stuff.”

 

Mr. Uraraka knelt down, softly patting Ochako on the head. “We appreciate that sweetie, but we’ll be okay. Mommy and I just want you to focus on being a kid right now. There’s no need to rush.” He glanced up at Mrs. Uraraka, who was sporting a loving look as she smiled sympathetically at her daughter. “Besides, if you decide to become a pilot, just earn some money and take us on a vacation, okay? We can go to Europe like we always wanted to!”

 

“Daaaaddyyyy,” Ochako whined, snuffling and wiping her eyes again.

 

Her mother knelt down too, pulling both Ochako and her husband into a tight hug. “We love you, Ochako. You’re such a sweet girl for wanting to help us, but everything will be okay.”

 

In an instant, the image blurred, shifting into a blue mist before changing all around Izuku.

 

Where there had been the sound of a quiet apartment before, there were now the sounds of explosions, sirens, and screams.

 

A blood-curdling roar ripped through the air, drawing Izuku instinctively into a fighting stance.

 

_Noumu._

 

“Mommy! Daddy!”

 

Izuku whipped around, seeing a slightly older Ochako than he had just witnessed running alongside her parents as building after building collapsed all around them. Izuku fought the fear that leaped into his throat. This was a memory, and Ochako was alive and well, he had to remember that.

 

Still, watching Mr. Uraraka stumble to pick Ochako up as he and his small family continued their hurried escape as the horrifying beast in the distance ripped through building after building.

 

_“It’s Crimson Riot! Look!”_

 

Izuku’s eyes flitted to the direction of the familiar rumble of mechanical roaring. A maroon mech began sprinting its way onto the scene, distinct conical head shape something that Izuku recognized as the now decommissioned Crimson Riot.

 

In spite of the circumstances, he couldn’t help but feel a little giddy at the opportunity he was given to witness an old school Jaeger in action somewhat first hand.

 

Crimson Riot extended its trademark plasma laced lances, quickly rushing the Noumu and driving the appendages into the Noumu’s tough flesh, each spike seeming to find purchase between the monster’s shoulder joints.

 

“Oh cool, the plasma lance dismemberment.” Izuku put a hand to his chin as he jogged along just behind the Urarakas, who were also watching the display. “I ought to try that… wonder if engineering could install something like that on All Might.”

 

With a sickening pop, each of the beasts arms were ripped free. The Noumu howled in pain before Crimson Riot plunged its head spike into the gaping maw of the monster’s mouth, pulling back with a mighty tug to behead the rampaging beast.

 

Izuku was half worried that Ochako would be traumatized by the display, but upon looking back at her and her family, the young girl’s eyes seemed to sparkle with wonder.

 

The young man couldn’t help but feel a sense of kinship in that moment.

 

“Yeah… me too.”

 

Ochako seemed to suddenly register Izuku’s presence, eyes looking confused before a spark of recognition flashed in her eyes. Izuku blinked and where once the Uraraka family had been standing, cheering for the victory of Crimson Riot, now stood Ochako in her pilot’s armor.

 

The young woman wrung her hands in embarrassment. “I’m… you weren’t kidding about this being more intense.”

 

“You should have seen me when I first drifted with the Marshal. At least you’re not puking.”

 

Ochako giggled before the pair suddenly lurched to the side, and with the embarrassment ebbing away, Ochako seemed to be getting paler.

 

“Oh… I think you may have spoken too soo- hrrk.”

 

The young woman ripped the helmet off her head, severing the neural interface and flinging the duo back into reality. Ochako immediately dropped to her knees as the foot mounts released her boots and the pilot scrambled for the box her helmet had come in, pulling it to her face and letting out a pained belch as she released the contents of her stomach.

 

Izuku sighed sympathetically, disengaging himself from his own control setup and kneeling down next to Ochako, pulling any stray strands of hair away from her face. “It’ll pass in a minute, don’t worry.”

 

“Hurrgh- I’m so-sorry.” the brunette grunted out as she clung to the box for dear life.

 

Izuku shushed her gently, leaning back and looking away from Ochako to speak out. “Aizawa, did we get the data?”

 

**“Yeah, we got it. Numbers were shaky at first but you two leveled out near the end there. Congratulations, it’s confirmed. You two are 100% Drift compatible.”**

 

The brunette gave a quick thumbs up as she continued to retch.

 

“We’ll… celebrate later.”

 

**“Understood.”**

 

* * *

 

Izuku slid the comfy green sweater over his chest, trapping in the residual heat from his shower. After escorting the still dazed Ochako back to her room, Izuku had encouraged her to take a shower, telling her it was his preferred method of relaxing after being in the Jaeger.

 

He glanced down at his watch. _‘It’s been about a half an hour… maybe she’s ready by now. I bet some tea would do her stomach good.’_

 

The latch on Izuku’s bunk door opened with a soft hiss, the young man stepping out into the hall and walking the short distance over to Ochako’s new bunk. He rapped gently with his prosthetic hand on the door, doing his best to avoid chuckling at the frenzied sounds coming from the other side.

 

The door creaked open, Ochako appearing in the crack, trying furiously to quell the maelstrom of hair that was her bob. “S-sorry, I’ll uh, just be a minute.”

 

The door closed with a click, the sounds of chaos resuming for roughly… well, he’d be damned… a minute before opening again. Ochako seemed to be in a slightly less disheveled state. Her hair was still wet, but this time it was pulled into a bun. Izuku assumed to keep the wet hair from freezing her neck.

 

She was dressed as simply as he was, seeming to be wearing a wooly cardigan over a t shirt and joggers.

 

Izuku found himself speechless.

 

Ochako brushed a stray hair off her cheek, giving Izuku a small grin. “What’s up?”

 

The ranger shook himself mentally to wake up from his small moment. “Erm, just wanted to see if you were hungry after… well.”

 

“Right,” Ochako blushed. “Um, yeah I’m feeling a bit better, stomach is still a little iffy. Any recommendations?”

 

Izuku gestured with his head over to his room. “It’s not gourmet or anything, but I can brew us some ginger tea. Should help settle your stomach and we can get a bite after?”

 

Ochako seemed to hesitate, mulling something over even as her cheeks grew redder.

 

_‘Oh man I hope I didn’t overstep m-’_

 

“I’d love to!”

 

Izuku felt himself relax immediately. “Okay, cool! Come on in.”

 

* * *

 

Ochako was dying.

 

This was a dream.

 

The buff ranger who had held her hair while she puked and somehow looked like a supermodel in sweaters had now invited her into his room for tea.

 

She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting. Maybe posters of girls in bikinis? Dirty laundry everywhere?

 

Instead, the room was clean, like, weirdly clean. He had posters of Jaegers on the walls, and even a cork board covered in pictures. Ochako felt herself drawn to them, drawing her eyes lazily over the collage of photographs. She spotted something that had to be his cohort from the academy. Amongst the faces she recognized the pilots of Ground Zero, reminding her of how irritating that blonde man was.

 

Another photo featured Izuku standing next to a giant of a man with blonde hair. He looked like an American action movie star. The pair seemed to be wearing matching jackets... Maybe this was Marshal Yagi?

 

Just below that was a photo of Izuku with his arms wrapped around a slightly plump woman who had the same eyes and green hair as Izuku. She had the beginnings of crow's feet around her eyes and seemed to be crying tears of joy as she held onto Izuku.

 

“I should give Mom a call.”

 

Izuku’s voice nearly caused Ochako to jump out of her skin.

 

“Easy! I have your tea,” Izuku said with a laugh as he set one of the cups down on the table in front of the cork board. He handed the other to Ochako, who fanned herself a bit with her free hand to steady her heart.

 

Ochako raised the tea to her lips, blowing on it softly. “S-so, that’s your mom?”

 

Izuku stared wistfully at the wall, nodding slowly with a sad smile on his face. “Yeah. It was just me and her since Dad works overseas. She had to raise me mostly on her own.”

 

“Oh,” Ochako felt her stomach drop. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-”

 

Izuku shook his head. “It’s okay, we’re all good, my dad and I are still close.” He pointed to the photo of himself next to the big blonde man. “That one is me and the Marshal after I got my official All Might jacket. I think I had been piloting with him for about a month here?”

 

Ochako relaxed a bit as Izuku’s mood seemed to improve. “And this, your cohort?”

 

“Ha, yeah. Kacchan was complaining the whole time about having to take the photo.”

 

The brunette tilted her head. “Kacchan?”

 

Izuku ran his hand over the short hair on the back of his head. “Yeah, ha. This guy.” he pointed to the blonde pilot of Ground Zero. “Katsuki Bakugo. I’ve known him since we were kids. We went into the academy together actually. He hates that nickname, but I couldn’t pronounce his name when we were little, so… Kacchan.”

 

Ochako snorted at the adorable nickname attributed to the gruff man she briefly witnessed the other day. “Did he have a nickname for you?”

 

“Yeah, he calls me Deku. It’s another reading of my name. He used to say it’s what you’d call a helpless loser.”

 

The young woman felt a flare of indignation rise in her chest. “Wait he _bullied_ you?!”

 

Izuku shrugged. “Yeah, which honestly pissed him off more when I used to outscore him sometimes in the academy. It pissed him off the most when Toshi- I mean, the Marshal picked me to be his co-pilot over him.”

 

Ochako took a sip of her tea, feeling the ginger already beginning to soothe her stomach. “I guess I just take it for granted. Everyone in my cohort was super friendly.”

 

“Eh, Kirishima balanced him out. They make a good match as co-pilots.”

 

“Pfft,” Ochako snorted. “He must be a saint then to balance _that_ out.”

 

This time it was Izuku’s turn to snort as he choked on a sip of tea. “Ochako!” He began coughing. “He’s not that bad… all the time…” he paused for a moment. “Okay maybe you’re right.”

 

Ochako burst into a new fit of giggles, unintentionally massaging Izuku’s back as he coughed a bit more.

 

_‘Damn he’s solid. No- bad Ochako.’_

 

“Ahem, thanks for the tea by the way. It’s delicious.”

 

Izuku smiled warmly at her. “Any time.” His eyes looked like pools of liquid emerald and in the warm light of his room, his freckles seemed to give him an extra warmth.

 

_‘Not fair.’_

 

“So, uh, wanna go get a bite to eat? I think I’m ready now.”

 

The man nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s get going.”

 

Following close behind him, Ochako found herself with butterflies in her stomach. Not due to any lingering nausea, but for something else she couldn’t quite place yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks Titus, Pan, and Epic for beta reading this chapter
> 
> Next time: Izuku and Ochako get to know each other better and take the newly refurbished All Might for a test drive.


	5. Zinc and Copper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku and Ochako get closer, All Might goes on a test run, and Izuku has some internal conflict.

Ochako woke to the sound of a fist knocking on the door of her bunk. She rose slowly, trying to smooth out the wayward strands of hair that defied gravity as they stood up in awkward angles. The clock read 6:30 in the morning, her normal wake up time. She wasn't normally this tired.

 

Had she really been that exhausted after yesterday’s Drift exercise?

 

Shelving that thought for later, she wrapped a blanket over herself, suddenly aware she hadn’t bothered to change into any pajamas, instead slipping out of her clothes and falling asleep in her sports bra and underwear. 

 

She glanced at the puddle of drool on her pillow and frowned. _‘I really was out hard.’_ She pulled the blanket closer to preserve her modesty as she answered the door.

 

“Ah, good morning!” 

 

Ochako froze at the sound of Izuku’s husky voice in the morning.

 

She froze at the _sight_ of him first thing in the morning.

 

_‘Not fair, not fair, not fair.’_

 

He was sporting his own sleep shorts and a tank top, five o’clock shadow very much visible and holding two mugs of coffee. 

 

She hoped she wasn’t as red as she felt.

 

“G-good morning, Izuku. Is one of those for me?”

 

The man nodded happily. “Yeah, I figured after yesterday you might need a wake-up call. I always crashed hard after a bad Drift experience. So, when I got up I made us some coffee and figured I’d come and maybe we could chat?”

 

Now Ochako was _definitely_ blushing. Where did he get off being this sweet and considerate? Wasn’t he supposed to be some badass soldier?

 

She reached out, letting her blanket slip a bit as she accepted one of the mugs, just barely catching the way Izuku’s eyes dropped to glance momentarily at her exposed skin before zipping back to her face with a fresh blush dusting his freckled cheeks.

 

 _‘Nice to know I can make him flustered too,’_ Ochako thought to herself with a small smirk hidden behind the cup as she took a small sip.

 

She pulled a face at the bitterness of the coffee, eliciting a small chuckle from Izuku.

 

“Sorry, should have warned you. I ran out of cream and sugar. Do you have any? If not I can run down to the mess hall.”

 

Ochako waved a hand, dismissing his concerns. “No, I have some, come on in.”

 

She stepped out of the way, letting Izuku enter her room. Ochako was just glad that she hadn’t been living in it long enough to make a mess so it was still fairly neat and organized. Izuku took a seat in one of the two chairs by her small table and set his mug down.

 

Suddenly remembering her state of dress, Ochako quickly set the mug down and walked over to her dresser. “Um, let me just put something on, would you mind, er…”

 

“Turning around?” Izuku asked. “Yeah, here, I’ll cover my eyes too.”

 

With that, the man turned around and did exactly that, covering his eyes and sitting very still.

 

Ochako suppressed a giggle as she tossed the blanket back onto her bed and quickly slipped on some joggers and a t-shirt before grabbing some milk from the fridge and tapping Izuku on the shoulder, sitting down opposite him. “You can open your eyes now, thank you.”

 

One flesh and one metal hand lowered slowly as Izuku reached for his mug and took a sip.

 

“So, what did you wanna chat about?” Ochako asked as she poured some milk and sugar into her mug, using a spare straw on her table to stir the mixture.

 

Izuku took another sip of his coffee before clearing his throat. “Well, I guess I just wanted to get to know you better. I know we’ve shared a mental link now, but I still wanted to spend more time with you. Get to know you without the machinery involved, you know?”

 

“I can understand that.” Ochako leaned back, suddenly wishing she had comfier chairs. “Where do you wanna start?”

 

“Well, where are you from originally? I got a look at your parents and your apartment, but I couldn’t quite place the city.”

 

She smiled softly, some scattered memories coming back to her. “Mie, from what I can remember it was nice. We had a small place but we were happy.”

 

“Then-” Izuku grimaced. “The Noumu?”

 

Ochako sighed. “That was… I think I was maybe six or seven when that happened. The Noumu came out of nowhere and attacked the coast. It got pretty far inland before a Jaeger could show up. The damn thing moved fast. We lost our apartment, but,” she smiled, “we made it out thanks to Crimson Riot.”

 

“Did you move after that?” 

 

She shook her head. “No, Dad’s in construction. It pays alright and with all the Noumu attacks he’s never out of the job. He stayed in Mie and helped rebuild. It wasn’t until I turned sixteen that we moved north so I could be closer to the Academy when I graduated.”

 

Izuku took another sip. “Do they still work?”

 

“Yeah, Dad’s a site manager now. He and Mom live pretty comfortably. I offered to start sending them some of my stipend each month, but they insisted I keep it for myself.” She looked up. “Your turn, where are you from?”

 

He chuckled. “Uh, Musutafu. Grew up there with my mom. Dad works for a facility that develops power grids and systems in America. He’s trying to help find new ways to power our cities that can’t be interfered with during a Noumu attack.”

 

“And you and your mom didn’t move over there with him?”

 

Izuku shrugged. “Dad insisted this was our home. He works two months on, one month off. It works out pretty well actually. My mom fosters kids displaced by Noumu attacks until we can either reunite them with their families or find them permanent homes so she’s never alone and I go visit whenever I can.”

 

“That’s really incredible.” Ochako suddenly knew just how Izuku ended up so kind. “I’d love to meet them someday-” 

 

It took a moment before the implications of her words set in and she felt her cheeks heat up.

 

“I-I mean since we’re co-pilots now! And they sound really nice! I don’t mean in a dating sort of way! That would be weird!” She felt herself get more flustered. “Not because I wouldn’t wanna date you, you’re very kind and handsome and-”

 

Izuku burst out into laughter, cutting off her tirade. “Ochako, relax! I’m sure they’d love to meet you. If we’re gonna keep working together, you’re probably going to catch glimpses of them anyway. It only makes sense.” He scratched his cheek a bit as he took another sip and Ochako could just barely hear him mutter something along the lines of “handsome?” under his breath.

 

Ochako fanned herself a bit, shooting Izuku a guilty look before speaking again. “So, uh, your turn?”

 

“My turn, hmm.” Izuku paused for a moment. “Oh, duh. The obvious one. Why did you want to become a Ranger?”

 

She sat on that question for a moment. It had been a while since she had considered that question. “I guess… When I was a kid, I felt so helpless and I wanted to help in some way. Becoming a Ranger felt like the best way to save others the way I had been saved.” She ran a hand through her unruly bed head. “I know it sounds kind of cliche. I mean, I’m sure you have a way better reason than that.”

 

“No.”

 

Ochako froze, looking over at Izuku who was giving her a smile warm enough to melt the ice caps. 

 

“No, that’s not true at all. That’s more or less the same reason I have. I want other people to see the Jaeger I’m in and feel safe, knowing that I’m there to save them. Wanting to help others is the best reason there is. Plenty of people do this for fame and fortune and that’s fine I guess, they’re doing the job too. But…” He sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. “This job, this lifestyle. We put our lives on the line every day.”

 

Ochako’s eyes darted to Izuku’s metal arm, a motion he seemed to notice.

 

“You’re probably wondering about this, huh?”

 

“I didn’t mean to stare, I just…”

 

She breathed heavily through her nostrils.

 

“Can I?”

 

Izuku nodded, reaching the arm out, allowing Ochako to examine it. She gently caressed the back of his hand with one of her own, feeling the cool metal and gently running the index finger of her free hand over the small grooves in the surface. Closer up she was able to appreciate the finer details. Each section of his arm was segmented to allow for as close to his full range of previous flexibility as possible. She was just able to pick up the feeling of the whirring of mechanics under the surface, a soft hum like the whirring of a fan. There was a texture on the fingers and palm, she suspected to help with picking up objects.

 

“Can you feel things?”

 

He hummed. “A bit. It’s not like my old arm, but Melissa made it so I can feel pressure changes. Like right now, I can feel the pressure of your hands on mine, but I can’t feel the texture of anything. It’s a little bizarre but I’m getting used to it.”

 

Ochako continued stroking the metal, running her fingers along the dark metal surface and examining it like a fine piece of art. “Can I know how it happened?”

 

Izuku sighed. “It’s only fair. Better to hear it from me now rather than stumbling on it in the Drift.” He leaned forward to allow Ochako the ability to examine more of his arm.

 

“I was on a mission with the Marshall. Standard drop to confront a Noumu. We were handling it how we normally would but… I don’t know. We underestimated it, I guess. It had this ability to repair itself and it got the better of us. It put one of its ribs through the cockpit. The shrapnel it…” he winced. “It messed the Marshall really bad. Put a chunk of metal through his stomach.”

 

Ochako gasped.

 

“He… He told me to eject. He was going to pilot alone but I couldn’t let him. I severed our neural link and took sole control of All Might.”

 

She felt her hands unintentionally grip tighter onto Izuku’s arm. “But… That’s suicide.”

 

Izuku chuckled. “That’s what I told the Marshall. But I couldn’t let him die. Before I could think, I had entered my input code and taken over. I tried to fight the Noumu alone and it, well, it broke through my defenses and tore off All Might’s arm.”

 

Ochako felt her blood run cold. “But, your arm was still on, wasn’t it?”

 

“That’s the thing: because I was linked to All Might without someone else to share the neural strain, my connection to All Might made my reactions to everything much more severe. My arm was basically destroyed; bones were broken into shrapnel and skin burnt beyond saving. They had to amputate it in the end.”

 

“That’s…” Ochako was suddenly reluctant to let go of Izuku’s arm. “I’m so sorry.”

 

Izuku shrugged. “It’s okay. Really, in the end, I won and the Marshall lived. It was worth it.”

 

Ochako gripped onto his hand, holding tight and staring him in the eye. “We’re never going to let that happen, okay?”

 

His eyebrows shot up. “Wha-”

 

“I won’t ever let anyone hurt you. I’m your partner now and I’ll be damned if I let you get hurt again.”

 

Ochako felt a fire burn under her, slightly unsure of where it came from, but she meant every word. She didn’t relax her grip as she stared intently into Izuku’s eyes, finding herself momentarily lost in the pools of emerald green, pausing there for a moment before noticing the slack-jawed expression on Izuku’s face.

 

_‘Wait, oh. Oh no. I did it again.’_

 

She quickly released, not noticing the way Izuku’s fingers chased after hers at the released contact. 

 

“S-sorry.” 

 

Izuku cleared his throat. “No, it’s okay. Thank you, I… that means a lot to me. That promise goes both ways too.”

 

Ochako felt her stomach flip at the sudden shift in his voice, noticing the way he went so quickly from slightly flustered to confident.

 

A small silence filled the room after that, both unsure how to continue the conversation. 

 

Fortunately, Izuku’s comm started ringing. He quickly checked it, nodding along before looking back up. “Looks like we’re needed in the drop bay, they want us to do a field test.”

 

Suddenly sobered up and focused on the excitement with the prospect of getting to pilot All Might, Ochako stood up quickly.

 

“Let’s get going, then!”

 

* * *

 

Izuku felt the familiar thrill of his neurons re-firing in sync with someone else as they were connected to the Jaeger. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Ochako mirroring his every gesture as the fingers on each hand were flexed.

 

**“Okay you two, this is just a simple run. You’re gonna take a lap in All Might, test some of the preliminary weapons and come right back. Is that clear?”**

 

**_“And don’t break my baby! I just fixed her back up!”_ **

 

Aizawa’s voice crackled on the commlink as he groaned. **“Hatsume, who let you on this channel?”**

 

**_“I do what I want!”_ **

 

**“Fair enough.”**

 

Izuku could feel Ochako’s confusion in his head. He looked over at her and shot her a sympathetic look. “You get used to this sort of thing.”

 

“Do I?”

 

Izuku shrugged. “Maybe?”

 

The normal startup sequence continued on-screen as the rest of the mech started moving in sync with Ochako and Izuku’s movements. Within a couple of minutes, the duo was able to begin moving, taking slow, shuddering steps out of the docking bay and out into the Pacific.

 

Ochako gasped. “This feels-”

 

“-Incredible,” Izuku finished with a smile.

 

The mech moved out further, walking out into the open waters, sticking to the shallower sections of the bay so as to avoid submerging fully. 

 

**_“Alright, don’t do anything crazy! My baby there isn’t ready for full combat. Just do a few punches and test the plasma cannon. That’s all I have working.”_ **

 

Izuku nodded. “Understood, Hatsume.”

 

The duo did a few of the forms Izuku had practiced with Toshinori over the years, each coming out as expected but… something felt _off_. Each punch felt clunky and awkward, lacking the normal fluidity that Izuku was used to with All Might. Joints shuddered and the mech protested with every punch and chop. He tried everything, every special punch he had done dozens of times with Toshinori, but nothing felt as good or as practiced as before.

 

“Izuku?” Ochako sounded confused from her place to his side.

 

He shook his head. “Sorry, just… Need to think about something.” He tapped the comm. “Joints are operational, testing plasma cannon.”

 

The fingers on All Might tensed its fingers in unison with Izuku and Ochako. Panels sliding away and molten plasma rippling along the device that protruded from the palm. 

 

“Plasma cannon seems operational. Firing one charge.”

 

The right arm raised slowly, a build-up of power forming throughout the arm, machinery whirring and creaking in protest as a single shot fired off, pulsing over the ocean and out into the East.

 

“And plasma cannon confirmed operational. Walkabout successful and making our way back to the base.”

 

As Izuku and Ochako pulled the mech around, he felt an uneasy feeling well up in his stomach. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Ochako sounded concerned. Izuku had momentarily forgotten she could feel what he was feeling

 

He shook his head. “Just… Not sure about some things. All Might feels _different._ ”

 

“Is it me?”

 

“No, I don’t think so. I… I need to figure some things out when we get back to base.”

 

As the mech staggered back to base, Izuku suddenly felt too top-heavy, as if the Jaeger wasn’t balanced right. 

 

Ochako looked over at him with concern, helping her co-pilot get the mech into the docking bay.

 

**“Nicely done, we’ll go over the data. For now, go get some rest.”**

 

* * *

 

Izuku set his helmet down, feeling dissatisfied with the day’s practice exercise. 

 

“Hey Izuku, is everything alright?” Ochako’s voice was full of concern as she slipped out of the skin-tight plug suit.

 

He glanced over, keeping his eyes locked on hers and away from her body as she changed. “I’m just… things feel different. I’m not sure if it’s because of the arm or if it’s because I was relying on Tos-I mean, the Marshall, but I think I need to discuss this with him a bit. I feel… off balance.”

 

Ochako made a small hum of understanding. “That makes sense. Do you need me to come along?”

 

“No, I… I appreciate that thank you, but I think I need to sort my shit out. But,” he looked at her with a soft smile, “I’ll come to talk to you after, is that okay?”

 

She smiled back. “Of course.”

 

* * *

 

The sounds of footsteps echoed through the hallways as Izuku tread the unfamiliar path to Toshinori’s new quarters. He’d had to go through a security checkpoint, which had been fun as he passed through the metal detector; metal arms certainly didn’t make this aspect of his life any more enjoyable.

 

It had been a few days since he’d seen his mentor. He knew that the man had been moved out of his hospital bed and into an apartment on base, but he wasn’t sure how exactly he was doing physically.

 

As he approached the door, he just prayed that Toshinori was in better health than the last time he had seen him. 

 

Izuku reached up with his metal hand, knocking gently on the door. A camera whirred, turning and focusing on Izuku’s face before a quiet beep echoed throughout the hallway. A mechanical hiss came from the door as a set of chambers and pistons unlocked, with the door slowly opening.

 

“Izuku? Is that you? Come on in!”

 

The young man stepped through the door, glancing around the sparsely decorated apartment. “Toshi?”

 

Soft rotors caught Izuku’s attention. He turned around to see Toshinori smiling up at him from a mechanized wheelchair. The first thing Izuku noticed was that Toshinori had some of his color back. He looked lean—leaner than the younger man had ever seen him. His hair was still frayed, but now it appeared to be in a more manageable state. His face caught the light as he smiled, his sunken cheeks pulling tight and every crevasse creating a shadow.

 

“You look good, Toshi.”

 

Toshinori waved a hand, Izuku ignoring the IV that stuck from the back of his mentor’s hand. “I look terrible. But I’m alive and mobile again. Plus they’re saying I’ll be on solid food pretty soon. I’m getting damn tired of all these IVs and smoothies.”

 

Izuku chuckled, setting his coat down on one of the chair backrests.

 

“But you didn’t come here to listen to this old man complain about his diet. What’s up?” Toshinori wheeled closer, gesturing to Izuku to take a seat.

 

“It’s…I don’t know. I took All Might out for a test run today with my new co-pilot.” Izuku could feel himself drawn in, nervously shifting from foot to foot.

 

Toshinori smiled. “I’m jealous, how did it go?”

 

Izuku grimaced. “It just felt… wrong. Like I was off balance. None of the usual attacks we do felt natural either.”

 

“Well there’s your problem, my boy.” Toshinori wheeled closer. “You’re using all my old moves. We spent all that time together and, well, I may have done you a disservice.”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“Well, your strength is in your adaptability, which meant you made a perfect partner to go into battle with. But on the other hand, we always used _my_ attacks, _my_ fighting style. I hardly gave you a chance at all to implement your skills.”

 

Izuku looked down at his hands, suddenly unsure of himself. “My skills…”

 

“Yes, Izuku, your skills. You are so incredibly talented as a fighter, but I never gave you the chance to test out _your_ personal skills in a Jaeger.” Toshinori frowned. “I’m sorry, my boy.”

 

“N-no, Toshi, please don’t apologize! You’re the whole reason I’m any good at piloting at all.”

 

The older man laughed, which turned into a small cough. “We both know that’s not true. Who saved whom from a Noumu?”

 

Izuku’s lips drew into a tight line. 

 

“What you need to do, Izuku, is learn what works for _you_.” He reached forward, patting the younger man on the shoulder. “And don’t make my mistake, include your new partner in this.”

 

“I’ll…” Izuku sighed. “I’ll do my best.”

 

Toshinori leaned back, coughing again. “I know you will, my boy. Now-” he smiled again. “Tell me about your new partner, what are they like?”

 

Izuku was finally able to return the smile. “Ochako Uraraka. We got lucky, she and I are fully compatible.”

 

“Tell me more. Do you want some tea?”

 

“I’d love some; let’s catch up. I’ve missed you, Toshi.”

 

The older man wheeled toward the kitchen, glancing over happily. “I’ve missed you too, son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Titus and Pan for beta reading this chapter
> 
> Hope y'all are enjoying this!


	6. Cast Iron and Enamel

Mei was humming along happily as she worked on the suit of armor. Figuring out a more seamless integration for the suit that didn’t require as long to put on was tricky work, but she liked a challenge.

 

“Hatsume?” 

 

The pink-haired woman lifted her head, setting down her soldering iron and looking up at the man walking into her workshop. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans with a pair of brown combat boots and some weird sleeve on his right arm.

 

Wait.

 

Mei zoomed in with her goggles. 

 

That wasn’t a sleeve.

 

Without thinking she was out of the chair and flying to the man, getting in closer than most people found comfortable. “It’s you!” She began prodding at the arm, fiddling with the plates and examining the functionality. 

 

Izuku blinked. “Um-”

 

“Oh, I’ve been dying to get a look at this. It’s a shame they didn’t let me tinker with this baby for Melissa. I could’ve given you so many toys! A grenade launcher, a taser- do you want a taser?” She looked up at him, her amber eyes full of manic energy that she couldn’t contain.

 

The man cleared his throat, gently removing his arm from Mei’s grip. “I think I’m okay for right now. I’m actually here to talk about my Jaeger.”

 

“Huh.” Mei deflated a bit, shelving her plans to retrofit the arm for a later date. “Sure, what do you wanna talk about?”

 

“Well, it’s just that… how do I put this-”

 

“The Jaeger isn’t as responsive to you anymore and you need to update it to accommodate you and your new partner.”

 

Izuku froze in place. “That’s… right. How?”

 

“It was all over your readouts. You’re not moving as efficiently as you were when I compared the results to your readouts with the Marshal.” She found a granola bar in the mess that was her work station, unwrapping it and taking a bite. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

 

“Er, right. So, do you think you can help?”

 

Mei shrugged. “You do know how much work reconfiguring a whole Jaeger takes, right?”

 

Izuku shook his head. 

 

“That’s potentially weeks of backbreaking, mind-numbing work and billions of dollars.”

 

Izuku seemed to get even stiffer. “Right…”

 

“All of it reliant on  _ me _ .”

 

“I’m sorry, this is too much to ask for, I’ll just get goi-”

 

Mei snorted, slapping Izuku on the back. “Relax! I’m just busting your balls. Yaoyorozu International keeps us plenty funded, plus I’ve been absolutely  _ dying _ to redesign that monster.”

 

“Oh, so-”

 

“So yes, I can redesign All Might.”

 

“Awesome!” Izuku smiled broadly. 

 

Mei held up a finger. “But, I wanna get a closer look at that arm.”

 

“My arm?”

 

Mei’s smile turned slightly feral. 

 

“Hatsume no.”

 

Mei closed in, pulling her goggles over her eyes. “ _ Hatsume yes _ .”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Izuku?” Ochako’s voice filtered into the training room. 

 

Inside, Izuku was already stretching. “Hey, come on in.”

 

Ochako took a moment to glance around, appraising the surroundings. This was the same room that she had first sparred against Izuku when she earned her spot as his co-pilot. For some reason returning felt bizarre, as if that event was a far off memory. 

 

“So, what are we doing here? I’m not opposed to a workout, but I thought we’d be doing more training drills in the Jaeger.”

 

Izuku sighed. “That’s the thing. I’m kind of useless right now. I realized that without the Marshal, I’m not sure how to operate. So…” he stood up, took a few experimental punches and kicks, and turned to her. “We’re gonna spar for a while.”

 

Appraising his posture, Ochako found she was actually able to get a decent read on him now. He was projecting an air of confidence; shoulders rolled back, chest broad and gently rising and falling. His face was set in an easy smile, but Ochako noticed the slight quiver of his lip, the slight shudder in his breathing, the way his eyes didn’t quite convey the relaxed air that was shown through the body language he was trying to convey.

 

He was nervous. He was unsure of himself.

 

Ochako furrowed her brow. “Right, okay!” She clapped her hands together, stripping off the jacket she was wearing and kicking off her boots. 

 

_ ‘He must be used to smiling through his nervousness. I should try and get to the bottom of that.’  _

 

“Where do you wanna start?”

 

Izuku shrugged. “I was thinking boxing to warm up, move on from there?”

 

“Works for me. Mind helping me stretch out a bit? My hamstring has been killing me lately.”

 

“Oh, yeah of course.” 

 

Ochako laid down, slightly raising one leg and offering it to Izuku, who gently gripped it. He put pressure on her straightened leg, pushing it forward. She hissed a bit as she felt the tight muscle stretch a bit with Izuku’s assistance. 

 

He chuckled from above her. “Hamstrings are the worst.”

 

“Yeah,” Ochako agreed. “I’ll have to take a soak or something. I just wish my bunk had a bath.”

 

Izuku raised an eyebrow. “I may actually be able to help with that, swing by my room later, I have just the thing.”

 

Ochako tried not to read too much into that statement, instead masking her attempt at steadying her breath and cooling her blush under the guise of hissing in discomfort.

 

“Too much pressure?” Izuku immediately loosened his grip.

 

“No, no!” Ochako cleared her throat. “You’re perfect- I mean, you’re perfect at stretching! I’m okay!” She slowly bent her leg down, taking Izuku’s offered hand and standing back up. “Should we get started?”

 

Izuku nodded, walking over to his gym bag and pulling out some padded gloves and tossing them to Ochako. The pair strapped in and took a moment to take some experimental swipes and jabs before nodding to one another. 

 

Ochako took the initiative, closing the distance and leveling some experimental jabs at Izuku’s body. Each was deflected and she was forced to back off as Izuku took a wide swing at her. She felt the strands of the two locks of hair that framed her face blow out of the way as Izuku’s hand whizzed past. She felt a sense of exhilaration as she predicted the trajectory of his fist and managed to duck under and land a quick jab at his midsection.

 

He gasped in surprise before adopting a bright smile. “Not bad!”

 

The first thing Ochako noticed as they settled into a rhythm was how  _ familiar _ all of Izuku’s movements were. She was able to see the subtle twitches of his muscles that predated an attack, read the small shifts in his eyes and tell where he was going to move next, hear the hitches in his breath every time he came up with an idea or a new strategy. 

 

Likewise, she could tell that he was having the same experience. The sparring became, once again, like a dance between the two. It wasn’t super clear when they moved from traditional boxing to mixed martial arts, but in the end, it didn’t matter, they hadn’t needed to speak.

 

With neither partner able to pin the other, time began to fly by, and before either knew it, they were drenched in sweat.

 

“Time-out.” Izuku put his hands up in ‘T’ and Ochako immediately relaxed. “I don’t know about you, but I need a break.”

 

Ochako glanced at the clock and noticed they had already been training for fifteen minutes. “Jesus-”

 

Izuku chuckled. “Yeah, time flies when you’re having fun.”

 

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Ochako followed Izuku over to their bags before slumping unceremoniously on the floor. She pulled herself into a crossed sitting position and took a long drink from her water. “So,” she turned to Izuku, “what do you think?”

 

“Well… I think that I need to reconsider things about how I fight.” He looked at his metal hand. “I’ve been emulating the Marshal subconsciously when I’m in a Jaeger, but as soon as I step out, I don’t actually fight like that. I’ve been trying to make a mental note of how often I actually just  _ box _ and it’s not that often.” His hand clenching in a fist. “I feel so ridiculous. What if I hadn’t thought about this and we had gone in for a drop? I would get us killed just because I can’t think for myself.”

 

Ochako frowned. “You  _ are _ being ridiculous. Stop that.” She gently swatted at his shoulder. “I’m your partner now, I won’t let you badmouth yourself. You may be sort of android now, but you’re still human.”

 

Izuku snorted. “I think you mean cyborg.”

 

“Oh, whatever nerd.” She rolled her eyes teasingly. “The point is that I’m here to help you. I may not have the field experience you do, but I’m here to back you up, just like you told me you’d back me up. No matter what.”

 

He sat quietly for a moment before reaching over with his left hand and placing it on Ochako’s knee. “Thank you.”

 

She savored the warmth and contact, smiling softly at him. “Any time.”

 

* * *

 

After roughly an hour of training, Ochako was thoroughly exhausted. They had moved through every form of fighting she knew, and some she didn’t as she tried to keep up with Izuku. It had been a pleasant surprise to see that there had been a bit of a bleeding effect as a result of the Drift, and even the forms she didn’t  _ know _ per se, she was still at least passingly familiar with as a result of sharing a link with Izuku.

 

“I think,” she panted, “I’ll take you up on that tub offer. I need a good soak after this.”

 

Izuku toweled off his face. “Yeah, of course, let’s pack up and I’ll show you.”

 

The pair filled up their duffels and Ochako followed Izuku back through the refreshingly cold hallways back to his room. There was a slightly childish sense of excitement bubbling up inside her. Like a teenager being invited into a boy’s room so they could make out. 

 

For a brief moment, she imagined a younger version of herself and Izuku in school uniforms kissing awkwardly in a heavily decorated bedroom.

 

She stifled a giggle as she dispelled the image from her mind. 

 

Izuku unlatched the door to his room and Ochako entered the room for the second time. This time the sense of newness and wonder had faded, and she felt ever so slightly more at ease. Izuku was less of a stranger and even in the short time she had known him, she felt much more comfortable in his presence.

 

Looking around, however, she could not figure out where he could fit an entire tub in this room. From what she could see he had the standard shower, and his room was perhaps slightly bigger than hers, but it was still far too small.

 

“So… a tub fits where exactly?”

 

“Well, that’s the cool thing.” Izuku walked over to a panel in the wall and pressed a large, metallic button. From the wall, a medium-sized, square tub began sliding out, complete with a faucet and dial.

 

Ochako gaped. “Do I have one of those!?”

 

Izuku shrugged. “I’m not sure. This used to be the Marshal’s bunk before they promoted him and gave him an apartment. He told me he had this installed so he could soak between missions.”

 

“Oh, that is not fair,” Ochako whined. “Guess I’m coming over after every mission now.”

 

“Be my guest, I usually just use the shower so I’m happy to share.” He smiled at her. “I’ll head out for a bit so you can enjoy it.”

 

Ochako watched as he collected some shower supplies from his small bathroom. “Wait, where are you going?”

 

“I’ll just head to the communal showers and then walk around for a bit. Don’t worry about it, just take your time.”

 

She frowned. “I’m not kicking you out of your own room.”

 

A light dusting of red colored the freckles on Izuku’s cheeks. “I just want to make sure you have privacy is all-”

 

“Izuku, we change in the same locker room and share a  _ mental link. _ ” She crossed her arms. “I’m pretty sure privacy is out the window. Besides, I don’t mind you being in here. I trust you.” 

 

He opened and closed his mouth for a moment, seemingly unsure how to respond. “...Are you sure? I don’t want you to think I’m some kind of pervert.”

 

“Izuku. I’m the one telling you to stay. If anything  _ I’m  _ the pervert here.” She fought back the desire in the back of her head that  _ really _ wanted that peek. “Just take your shower and relax and I’ll take a soak and we’ll hang out like nothing is awkward because it doesn’t  _ have  _ to be awkward.”

 

The green-eyed Ranger scratched his cheek, his eyes downcast. “If you’re sure.”

 

“I am.”

 

Izuku sighed. “Alright, well, let me get the water started for you.” He walked over, turning the dial up to just below the hottest setting and running his left hand through the water. When it began to steam just slightly, he plugged the drain, placed a small bar of soap on the edge, and stepped out of the way. “That should be hot enough, but go ahead and adjust it if you need.”

 

“Thank you.” Ochako ran her hand under. It was hot, but not uncomfortably so. “It’s perfect, thanks.”

 

He nodded stiffly. “Right, I’m gonna just-” he gestured jerkily to the shower. 

 

“Of course. I promise I won’t peek.”

 

She took some small satisfaction in how flustered he was about all of this.  _ ‘At least he’s a gentleman.’ _

 

Izuku turned his back, walking back to the shower and beginning to stiffly put his things back in order. He slowly began lifting his shirt up and Ochako took just a brief moment to appreciate his broad back before listening to her conscience and turning around. She shed her sweaty clothes, trusting in Izuku to not look at her. She didn’t exactly mind if he did; Ochako had gotten used to a lack of privacy after living in a bunk with the girls, but she knew that societal norms normally frowned upon a man and woman stripping down in the same room. Sighing contentedly as the cool air of Izuku’s room brushed against her body, Ochako carefully stepped up and into the tub, stifling a moan as the warm water immediately began relaxing her.

 

“Is it too hot?” Izuku asked from the shower. Ochako hadn’t even heard him turn the water on and step in. 

 

“No it’s perfect, thank you.”

 

“Y-you’re welcome.”

 

Ochako hummed quietly to herself as she grabbed the bar of soap and began massaging her aching muscles. The tub was big enough to allow her to stretch out a fair amount. It made sense considering how tall the Marshal was. For him this would likely amount to just a soaking tub. 

 

“It’s impressive that they managed to fit something like this in here,” Ochako commented just loud enough so that Izuku would be able to hear her.

 

“Yeah, but when you have brains like Hatsume and Melissa on board, it’s probably pretty easy to install.”

 

Ochako felt a small twinge in her gut at the familiar use of Dr. Shield’s first name. “So, you and Dr. Shield… are you two, er, close?”

 

“Close?”

 

“I mean, does Ranger Izuku Midoriya have a secret love life with the top medical doctor on the station.”

 

A soft bang from the shower caused Ochako to whip around in concern. “Are you okay!?”

 

Izuku spluttered, just barely visible behind the fogged over glass door of the shower. “Yeah! Yeah, sorry. Just caught me off guard.”

 

Ochako reluctantly turned away, slightly disappointed by the lack of detail.

 

“Um, to answer your question; no. Melissa just asked me to keep things on a first name basis. Her dad and the Marshal are good friends and so she considers Toshinori family. I owe her a lot for making me functional again, but beyond that there’s nothing going on.”

 

Ochako relaxed a bit. “So no special someone’s for the ace Ranger?”

 

“I wouldn’t say that. I just… haven’t really had time.” The embarrassed tone of his voice was adorable.

 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never dated anyone.”

 

Izuku paused. “I wasn’t exactly the most popular growing up. I was kind of a scrawny kid, didn’t really grow into myself until after enlisting in the academy. But…” he sighed. “There  _ was _ this one girl. She was sort of out of my league growing up, but I always kind of had a crush on her. I came home to visit my mom not long after getting appointed as a pilot and I bumped into her at the supermarket.” 

 

“Ooh, and?” Ochako couldn’t help but find the nervous wobble in Izuku’s speech funny.

 

“Well, she uh… she definitely noticed me. I think she liked the uniform and how big I’d gotten. I dunno…” he exhaled heavily through his nose. “I guess it was nice to feel wanted like that for the first time. I didn’t really think much about how she didn’t really care much about me after uh… getting what she wanted. Things just didn’t really work out between us.”

 

There was an awkward silence that followed. Ochako felt a little guilty for pressing him about it. “That sucks, I’m sorry.”

 

Izuku gasped in shock. “I-I don’t mean to badmouth her! Really, she’s a fine person, just not for me I guess.”

 

“Well, if it’s any consolation, the couple of guys I dated at the Academy sucked too, so you’re not alone.”

 

He chuckled quietly. “I’m sorry too, then.”

 

Ochako shrugged. “It’s no big deal. Besides, life's too busy now that I’m a pilot so it doesn’t make too big of a difference.”

 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

 

The pair slipped into a slightly more comfortable silence. After a few minutes, Izuku carefully exited the shower, audibly stumbling.

 

“Are you okay back there?”

 

Izuku chuckled. “Trying to exit the shower backwards is easier said than done.”

 

“I’m in the water up to my neck, it’s okay, plus all you could see is the back of my neck.”

 

“Oh,” he faltered. “I… really should have thought of that.”

 

Ochako giggled. “While I appreciate you wanting to preserve my modesty, I’d prefer you didn’t get a concussion trying to exit your shower.”

 

“Duly noted.”

 

* * *

 

Izuku laid back on his bed, a t-shirt covering his eyes and soft music filling the air. Occasionally some sloshing from the tub would catch his attention, but otherwise he and Ochako were enjoying some quiet company.

 

“I just realized,” she piped up. “I don’t have a change of clothes.”

 

Izuku thought for a moment. “You can just raid my drawers and borrow some of mine until you get back to your room.”

 

“Thank you again.”

 

He hummed quietly in response, hearing the water splash a bit as Ochako got out. Izuku listened as she toweled herself off and rummaged through his drawers.

 

“Okay, I’m decent.”

 

Izuku sat up slowly, stretching as he did so and settling his gaze back on Ochako. She was dressed in a pair of his joggers and one of his thicker sweaters that helped preserve her modesty. 

 

“You look comfy,” he remarked with a smile.

 

She twirled around, giving him a look at the several folds in the waistline of his joggers she’d had to make to get them to fit. “Yeah! Your clothes are super comfy!”

 

A small, primal side of Izuku thoroughly enjoyed the sight of her in his clothes, but he squashed it down just as quickly as it rose up. “I’m glad.”

 

“And thanks  _ again _ for letting me use the tub, it felt amazing.”

 

“Any time, just say the word and you can use it.”

 

She smiled. “I’ll take you up on that.”

 

He grinned back. “Wanna go grab some dinner?”

 

“Yeah, let me just go get changed and I’ll meet you in the dining commons.”

 

* * *

 

That night, Ochako “forgot” to return Izuku’s sweater, and  _ may _ have spent the night sleeping in it and guiltily inhaling his scent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks Pan and Epic for beta reading this chapter  
> Sorry for the wait everyone, thanks for your patience. I hope you enjoy!


	7. Refurbished Alloys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Might 2.0 is unveiled

Ochako once again fought the urge to ogle Izuku as she zipped into the skin-tight plug suit. She knew it wasn’t professional, but come on.

 

Could anyone blame her?

 

She swallowed, trying to dispel the sudden dryness in her mouth and resisting the desire to turn around and ignoring the little voice in her head that sounded remarkably like Mina insisting she act on her desires.

 

Every day for the past few weeks since their first test run in All Might, Izuku and Ochako had sparred. They went back and forth for hours in the same room with a collection of cameras filming their every move and recording the data to send back to Mei so she could calibrate the frame of All Might. Then, afterward, they would have dinner together and occasionally Ochako would use Izuku’s comfortable tub. He was slowly getting more and more relaxed around her, which felt really good. Plus it gave her more time to spend with the man, and that was a blessing in Ochako’s eyes.

 

It had been an eerie sight, seeing All Might without all the armor and weaponry. It looked somewhat like a skeleton; limber and unprotected. She had to hand it to the engineer for obviously knowing what she was doing and for having the tenacity to act upon it. The pink-haired menace seemed to have an endless well of energy to work on the Jaeger, needing several shift changes all around her just to keep up with her manic fits of productivity. 

 

The first thing that had gone was the bulky armor plating. All Might had an arsenal of support in its upper frame to support the heavy punching based fighting style, but that same mass that promoted heavy punches also reduced its speed; hence the need for the jet boosters on its elbows. 

 

After that point, Mei had insisted that Izuku and Ochako stay away from All Might. She was adamant that her “baby” be a surprise.

 

Ochako sighed, finally looking over at Izuku when she heard his zipper pull up all the way. 

 

He raised an eyebrow in return. “You alright?”

 

“Yeah, I’m good. Just-” she scratched the back of her head. “I guess I’m just a little nervous to see what Hatsume did to All Might. Something about her fills me with an ungodly amount of fear.”

 

Izuku chuckled. “I think you mean a healthy amount of fear. I’m still recovering from her ‘examination’ of my arm.” He shuddered. “She may be… _unique_ , but I trust her. Building and modifying Jaegers is her life.”

 

“If you say so. Also, when do I get to hear about what she did to you in that private examination?” Her frown turned into a smirk. “If you need to talk about it-”

 

He raised a hand. “I’d rather not relive it.”

 

Ochako giggled. “Well, as long as your chastity is still intact, I won’t go to war on your behalf.”

 

“My hero,” he fawned in a singsong voice, raising a hand daintily to his chest.

 

The brunette snorted as she descended into a fit of laughter. 

 

Izuku led the way as they strapped into their armor plating and into the newly refurbished cockpit of All Might. It was beautiful, to say the least. Whereas the original cockpit had a rather old-school, retro feel with red, white, and blue everywhere, the new cockpit felt simple and sleek. It was well illuminated and featured the same Americana feel, but there were obvious updates to accommodate for any and all new changes.

 

It felt brand new in every way and Ochako wished she could see what the rest of the mech looked like.

 

**“Welcome, you two! I hope you like the new cockpit here in my baby!”**

 

“Hey, Hatsume, so far so good. Can we strap in?”

 

Mei gave a soft squeal of excitement. **“Oh, I can’t wait, please!”**

 

Ochako took her place on Izuku’s right and snapped her boots into the two panels on the floor. Once she was secured, she grabbed onto the single control ring that was on her half of the piloting floor with her right hand. A harness screwed itself into the backplate on the heavier armor that reinforced her spine. 

 

A heads up display appeared on her helmet screen and a series of control panels lowered from the ceiling of the cockpit. 

 

**“Okay, boot up should be complete!”**

 

Izuku smiled at Ochako. “Let’s take this baby for a spin.”

 

This time Mei’s squeal was less than soft. **“I love it when you talk dirty.”**

 

“Oh my God,” Izuku deadpanned. “Thank you, Hatsume, for making this test run twenty times more uncomfortable.”

 

**“My pleasure!”**

 

He shook his head and turned back to his co-pilot. “Sorry, _now_ let’s go.”

 

Ochako shoved down the small pang of jealousy at what must have approximated to Mei’s version of flirting. Izuku’s response had helped a bit, but Ochako still hadn’t expected to feel any sort of discomfort when another woman showed some sort of interest in Izuku.

 

**“Ready to establish the neural link.”**

 

 _‘Crap, stop thinking about it. Don’t bring that junk into the Drift.’_ She shut her eyes and cleared her mind as she felt her mind pulled into a tether with Izuku’s. Whereas the first time she had reacted less than ideally, this time things felt easier. 

 

“I feel it too,” Izuku commented. “I think all that sparring and spending time together has done us some good.”

 

Ochako smiled. “I think you’re right.”

 

**“All signs are green. You’re set to start the virtual walkaround.”**

 

“Wait, we’re not ready for a full test run?” Izuku frowned. “I thought-”

 

Mei sounded ruffled as she sighed heavily into the mic. **“You can’t rush perfection! She’s almost done, but I still need more time. This is so we can get you two used to drifting again in the Jaeger you’ll be using. Now, initiate walking around… virtually!”**

 

“Right, well, I guess that works too.” 

 

Ochako hummed, watching the window of the cockpit flicker as a digital cityscape appeared in front of her. On that scape, a Noumu materialized in front of them, frozen in place as Izuku flipped a couple of switches. He then grabbed onto his own control ring and secured it in his left hand.

 

“Ready to begin.”

 

Mei’s fingers could be heard tapping on a loud keyboard. **“Running simulation!”**

 

Suddenly the Noumu unfroze and began charging at All Might. 

 

Izuku and Ochako assumed a battle stance, deciding as a pair to go for a traditional boxer’s position. Ochako could feel Izuku’s mind whirring with a handful of ideas for taking down the digital monster, quickly running down a mental list of potential openers.

 

The Noumu continued charging and Ochako felt Izuku make a decision. She felt him checking for approval and since she could feel his plans coming together in her head too, she nodded.

 

A large, grotesque arm came lurching forward, aimed directly for All Might’s head. The Jaeger moved in response to its pilots, ducking around the limb and grabbing the Noumu around one of the large spines on its back. Ochako reached with Izuku, kicking a leg out to trip the Noumu and force its face into the ground. The monster went down hard, which caused the virtual simulation to shudder as it replicated the tremor of an impact. 

 

Ochako’s sense of balance hitched as the Noumu pressed against the ground, recovering quickly from the opening assault and trying to force its way up. All Might jumped back in response, putting some distance between itself and the beast. 

 

This time, the Noumu charged on all four limbs, very nearly taking on the appearance of a bull as it ran at the Jaeger. All Might didn’t have time to get out of the way and took the headbutt the stomach. Izuku grunted in synch with Ochako as the duo quickly wrapped their arms around the Noumu’s neck and began digging their heels into the ground, slowing the monster’s charge. They were able to slow it down just enough to begin pulling up, throwing the Noumu off balance and loosening its grip. With a large yank, they pulled the large body up and threw it to the side. 

 

The Noumu tumbled for a moment before jumping back to its feet and charging back at them. This time, Ochako and Izuku were ready. A jet-powered kick connected quickly with the Noumu’s head and snapped it at an unnatural angle. The frontal kick was followed by a swift kick from the heel of the other leg. 

 

Seizing the opportunity, All Might leaped onto the Noumu’s back and activated the wheel that would give them access to one of the potential new weapons that Mei had installed.

 

“Concussion blasts, huh?” Izuku mused. “Wanna try?”

 

Ochako smiled. “Hell yeah.”

 

The wrists on All Might suddenly began expanding, forming a large cylinder around the hand. Ochako felt something charge up and aimed her fist at the Noumu’s head. All Might’s fist erupted with a wave of pressure that flattened the already weakened Noumu’s head immediately.

 

“Holy shit,” Ochako breathed as the Noumu was defeated and the simulated paused. “That’s… _Awesome!”_

 

 **“Right!?** **_”_ ** Mei giggled. **“I’d say that was a good use of time, I have** **_lots_ ** **of data that I can use for the final touch-ups! I’m done with you two now, go somewhere else. Bye!”**

 

Izuku sighed. “Well, you heard the woman. Wanna go get some lunch?”

 

“I’d love that.”

 

* * *

 

Ochako couldn’t help but notice how content Izuku looked as he absentmindedly chewed on his mouthful of rice. “Whatcha thinking about?”

 

“Oh,” he paused. “Sorry, was I zoning out?”

 

She laughed lightly in response. “Yeah, but it’s okay.”

 

“Sorry anyways, but to answer your question I was thinking that maybe it’s time for you to officially meet the Marshal.”

 

The young woman nearly choked on her food. “R-really!?”

 

“Yeah, he’s gonna love you.” He reached out and put his warm left hand on her forearm.

 

Ochako blushed in spite of herself. 

 

**_“DEKU!”_ **

 

Izuku flinched, his expression going from soft and open to neutral and guarded as he retracted his hand. “Here we go again.” He stood up and turned to the source of the voice. “Hey, Kacchan, how can I help you today?”

 

The angry, blonde form of Katsuki Bakugo came storming into view. “You can _‘help_ ’ me by telling me what you’re playing at! Where do you get off fucking around with All Might?”

 

“Well, All Might has been redesigned a few times over the years to suit the pilots,” Izuku responded calmly.

 

“It’s not bad enough you’re so useless that you nearly got the Marshal killed, but now you’re fucking with his Jaeger?” Katsuki put an accusatory finger against Izuku’s chest. “You never deserved it, you were always weak.”

 

Izuku stood to his full height. Granted, he and Katsuki were eye to eye, but while Katsuki seemed to be all arms, Izuku looked massive compared to him. His chest puffed out and the mechanical right arm seemed to almost glow in between its joints as if responding to its owner’s growing frustration. 

 

“You’re still upset that he chose me over you, I get it. I’m _not_ the scared kid that you used to know. I’m _not_ the scrawny recruit who entered the academy the same year as you.” Izuku’s face was pulled tight, his mouth a thin line. “You’ve done just fine as a pilot on your own. At the end of the day, _I’m_ All Might’s pilot. Not you.”

 

Katsuki’s eyes widened in fury, his fist clenching into a fist. He looked like he was ready to punch Izuku until Eijiro jogged up and grabbed Katsuki’s shoulder. 

 

“Sorry, Midoriya! I’ll… I’ll take him to cool off.”

 

Izuku kept his eyes locked onto Katsuki’s. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

 

“Come on, man,” Eijiro urged, finally managing to pull Katsuki away as the blonde began grumbling under his breath. 

 

Once the two were out of sight, Izuku turned back to Ochako and sat down slowly into his seat. He was silent for a minute or so before looking up and meeting Ochako’s gaze. 

 

“Hey, I’m not really hungry anymore, but I could use a pick me up. Wanna go see the Marshal now?”

 

Ochako reached out and took Izuku’s hand this time. “I’d love that, let’s go.”

 

The pair stood up and returned their trays of food and slowly walked toward the private quarters, the whole time Ochako kept one hand on Izuku’s upper arm, holding onto him gently and reminding him that she was there.

 

* * *

 

Izuku felt his heart still hammering in his chest. It had been a while since he had gotten that riled up over Katsuki yelling at him. For a time he had gotten completely desensitized to it, taking the verbal lashing well enough. 

 

Hell, they had been something akin to friends on and off most of their lives over their shared admiration of Toshinori as the pilot of All Might.

 

He smiled sadly at the thought. There had been a period of time in the academy where they had even gotten along, seeing each other as rivals. That, of course, had all gone down the drain when Toshinori announced Izuku would be his next co-pilot.

 

To say Katsuki hadn’t taken that well would be an understatement. If it hadn’t been for Eijiro’s intervention, then Izuku and Katsuki would have likely beaten each other senseless.

 

In the end, it had worked out, Katsuki had become a pilot of his own Jaeger with the only person who could put up with him; Eijiro. Ground Zero had quickly become a household name, with Katsuki’s explosive and violent fighting style being effective, and Eijiro’s caution and chivalry keeping them from going overboard on property damage.

 

Izuku sighed, taking comfort in the feeling of Ochako holding onto his arm as they rounded the corridor in front of Toshinori’s apartment. “We’re here.”

 

Ochako released his arm quickly and he immediately found himself missing the contact. He knocked on the door and the pair waited a few seconds before the gaunt but still familiar face of Toshinori answered. 

 

“Oh, Izuku! How are you, my boy?” His eyebrows rose. “Excuse me, you must be young Uraraka, right?”

 

The brunette nodded sheepishly. “Y-yes, sir. It’s an honor to meet you.”

 

He waved his hand dismissively. “No need for that, I’m happy to meet you as well. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name I’ve heard so much about.”

 

“Izuku talks about me?” Ochako looked at her co-pilot who seemed to be masking a blush.

 

Toshinori laughed heartily. “That’s a bit of an understatement. You’re just about the only thing he ever talks about!”

 

“Toshi!” Izuku complained. “Can we come in?”

 

“Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on,” Toshinori chuckled as he gestured to the inside of his apartment. “Make yourselves at home.”

 

Ochako went in first but Izuku was stopped at the door by Toshinori. The taller man leaned in to whisper in Izuku’s ear. “You didn’t mention she was gonna be this pretty. You’re lucky my place is clean, too.”

 

Izuku smiled at the man. “She’s not gonna mind. She’s seen my bunk too, and I’m way messier than you.”

 

“Oho?” Toshinori smiled wickedly. 

 

“N-not like that!”

 

The older man started laughing again. “Whatever you say.” He led Izuku into the apartment. “Young Uraraka, how do you take your tea?”

 

“Just a splash of milk and a teaspoon of sugar.”

 

He shot a finger gun at her. “You got it, be right back.”

 

Izuku sat down on the couch in the living room, patting the seat next to his and encouraging Ochako to sit down. “He’ll be right out, he works fast.”

 

“He seems really friendly.” She flopped down onto the cushion. “Just like I always imagined he would be.”

 

“Yeah,” Izuku smiled fondly. “He’s the best.”

 

Toshinori re-entered the room holding a tray. “Are my ears burning?”

 

The two young pilots smiled at the man and took the offered tea happily, settling in for a comfortable afternoon with the veteran.

 

* * *

 

It was a couple more weeks before Izuku and Ochako were called into the launch bay for the official unveiling of the newly refurbished All Might. It was a relatively small group, with only Aizawa, Mei, Toshinori, Melissa, and the two actual pilots really in attendance. 

 

“This is less of a ceremony and more of Mei just showing off,” Izuku mused quietly.

 

Mei elbowed him in the ribs. “Hell yeah, it is!” She reached into her coat and produced a large remote. “Now for the unveiling! Ta-da!”

 

The pink-haired woman pressed the button dramatically and the bay doors began slowly sliding open to reveal All Might.

 

Izuku spotted the familiar V-shaped head fins, but that was where the similarities mostly ended. The familiar red, white, yellow, and blue paint job had been swapped out for a dark green palette. The arms were a tan color that sported some glowing blue accents along the shoulders and wrist. Running down the chest and arms were a set of jet black lines. The lower torso sported some flashy red components that led into the streamlined green and mostly black legs. The feet of the Jaeger featured a red paint job that was covered slightly by the large, segmented sections of black metal that covered the toe and heel.

 

It looked sleek and far more mobile than All Might had ever looked before.

 

However-

 

“It… It looks completely different,” Izuku noted as his smile fell. “I don’t-I don’t want to disrespect you like that, Toshi.”

 

The large man put a reassuring arm around the younger pilot’s shoulders. “Son, this Jaeger is yours now. You need to make it your own, and I think this is perfect for you.”

 

Mei huffed. “I worked hard on this, you ungrateful-”

 

“No! Please!” Izuku turned to Mei. “I’m sorry, it’s really cool, I just got sentimental, I guess.”

 

“Hmm, fine. But you’d better thank me properly. I expect gifts, rewards, your firstborn, I dunno.”

 

Izuku snorted. “My firstborn?”

 

“I need an assistant.”

 

The man shook his head and turned to Ochako. “What do you think?”

 

She stared in awe at the Jaeger before turning to Izuku with a blinding smile. “It looks amazing!”

 

“Thank you!” Mei shouted. _“Someone_ appreciates me.”

 

Toshinori put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “You know... If you wanted to rename her-”

 

“Rename All Might?”

 

The blonde man shrugged. “Why not? She’s yours, plus with the overhauls Miss Hatsume here has made, it might be fitting to rechristen All Might as something else.”

 

“But what would I even call it?”

 

Ochako turned to Izuku with a quizzical look. “What was it that Bakugo called you the other day?”

 

“Useless?”

 

She frowned. “No, the nickname.”

 

“Oh,” he scratched his cheek gently. “Deku. It’s an old name, it means useless.”

 

“Wait, really? I thought it meant like, you know, Dekiru! Like hopeful. It has a sort of ‘you can do it’ vibe, you know?”

 

Izuku stared at the Jaeger. “Deku, huh?”

 

“It’s not bad,” Melissa added. “Catchy too.”

 

Ochako beamed. “I like it.”

 

Izuku smiled back. “Alright then, Deku it is. Why not? About time I made that nickname into something positive.”

 

Aizawa had the ghost of a smile on his face until his phone began buzzing. He checked it and his face immediately dropped. “We’ll have to save the hors d’oeuvres for later, we have a Noumu incoming” He looked to Izuku and Ochako. “Suit up, we need all hands on deck. It’s a big one.”

 

Izuku glanced at his partner, who met his glance and nodded.

 

Ochako grew a small smirk. “Time for Deku to kick some ass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, Titus for beta reading this chapter!


	8. Tungsten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deku has its debut

Ochako felt her pulse spike as she and Izuku stepped into the cockpit of the newly re-christened Deku. Even the interior felt updated since their most recent simulated battle. Light blue illuminated the interior, with dark gray and tan accents lining all the consoles. 

 

All in all, it was pretty sleek. It made Ochako feel a _little_ bad comparing it to the previous look of the cockpit, provided that it was the original one that had been designed for the mech when it was being piloted by the Marshal. 

 

Izuku let out a low whistle as he bucked his boots into the console. “Pretty flashy. I wish we had time to admire it.”

 

**“Thanks!”**

 

“Of course you’re already linked up,” Izuku muttered just loud enough for Ochako to hear.

 

She stifled a snort and grabbed onto her control ring. “Ready to go?”

 

Her co-pilot nodded. “Ready.”

 

 **“Initiating neural link.”**  

 

Ochako felt the tug at the back of her consciousness as she connected her mind to Izuku’s. That feeling of familiarity and comfort was there, like a gentle hand on her back, holding her up and supporting her. 

 

There was also a flutter in the pit of her stomach, but that could be sorted out later when she wasn’t sharing her brain with someone.

 

 **“All signs normal and fully synchronized.”**  

 

Ochako flexed her hand in sync with Izuku, relishing in the connection and the power she felt in the driver’s seat of the Jaeger.

 

“I love it too,” Izuku commented.

 

The brunette hummed happily. “Good, now let’s go kick some ass.”

 

“Now you’re talking.”

 

* * *

 

The helicopters whirred overhead, groaning with the strain of hauling Deku over the water. Izuku was thankful for that, the other option was to have Ochako and Izuku make their way up the coast of Japan to where the Noumu was inbound. 

 

 **“You should be nearly there. The Noumu is a Category III, similar to the one you faced with the Marshal, Midoriya,”** Aizawa noted over the intercom. **“We’re going with caution, so you’ll be working alongside Ingenium to take down this threat.”**

 

A new line opened up on the intercom. **“We look forward to working with you!”**

 

Izuku laughed. “Tenya, Tensei, how are you guys?”

 

 **“Hey, Izuku,”** Tensei called out. **“Good to hear from you. Eager to get rid of this Noumu, you know?”**

 

**“Agreed! We should be swift and decisive!”**

 

Stifling a snort, Izuku smiled. “Sounds good, Tenya. Let’s do this.”

 

Tenya always had been a little rigid, but he was a good Ranger. Plus, with Tensei balancing the team out with his more relaxed disposition, they made a good team. 

 

Ochako looked over at Izuku. “You know the pilots of Ingenium?”

 

“Yeah, we’ve worked together a few times, the Iida brothers are good guys.”

 

_‘Just glad it’s not Kacchan.’_

 

“You guys have a weird history.” Ochako sighed. “I wish he’d mellow out a bit, Ground Zero is a really good Jaeger team, it’s just a shame that half of that team is an angry pomeranian with an inferiority complex.”

 

Izuku spluttered. “Wha-”

 

The woman tapped her helmet. “I’m inside your head, remember? You started thinking about Bakugo and I started seeing some flashes of memories.”

 

“But- an inferiority complex?”

 

Ochako shrugged. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious even without being in your head that he’s jealous that the Marshal picked you over him.” She smiled at him. “So… inferiority complex.”

 

 **“Do the psychoanalyzing later, Noumu is inbound.”** Aizawa was trying to sound serious, but Izuku could hear the ghost of a laugh in his tone. 

 

Rolling his neck, Izuku turned to face the horizon where he could start to see the surface of the water being disrupted. 

 

“Noumu spotted, preparing to engage.” Deku’s legs tensed. “Time to test Hatsume’s handiwork.”

 

 **“Is it bad that I’m a little turned on?”** Mei spoke through the comms channel. **“Nevermind, don’t care! Go get them, Baby! Oh and… Midoriya and Uraraka too, I guess.”**

 

 _“Oh my god,”_ Ochako sighed. 

 

Shaking his head, Izuku turned to his comms channel, flipping it on and keeping it on. “Deku is ready to go, are you ready, Ingenium?”

 

**“Roger that, Deku. Wait, Deku?”**

 

“New name for the upgrades.”

 

Tensei hummed. **“I do like the green. Alright, let’s do this!”**

 

The Noumu broke through the water and it was then that Izuku got his first look at the thing. It was similar to the one he and Toshinori had fought previously; dark skin and exposed brain with overgrown muscles that were more than a little intimidating. This Noumu, however, had a single, glowing red eye and seemed to favor running on all fours. Its arms were littered with tears, marks, and bumps that only made Izuku more cautious. From its back grew a large, spiked tail, not unlike a dinosaur’s.

 

“Eyes on the Noumu, engaging.” Izuku felt engines begin to roar behind the major appendages, and the engine in Deku’s chest start to spin harder and faster. 

 

 **“Recipro burst!”** Next to them, the Iidas surged forward in Ingenium, the jets on the back of its legs and elbows sending the Jaeger forward at impossible speeds. Before it could react, the Noumu’s body was flung back, thrown away from the shoreline and into the water. **“Come on! Let’s keep it away from the land!”**

 

Deku began running forward to keep up with Ingenium but found that compared to the silver Jaeger’s impressive speed, Deku was just too slow.

 

 **“Ugh!”** Mei complained. **“Use the speed up button!”**

 

Izuku furrowed his brow. “Speed up?”

 

**“I don’t know! Just come up with a name and press the green button!”**

 

“You mean this one?” Ochako pointed to a dial and a green set of buttons on the center control panel.

 

**“Yeah! Pick a setting and hit go!”**

 

“Uh, okay.” Ochako touched the dial and turned it to 5 before pressing the button. 

 

**“Full Cowl initiated.”**

 

Deku’s joints hissed and some sparks flew off as the engine forced a lubricant through. The monitors showed a chart of Deku’s major motor systems, all of which seemed to have some sort of tubing now running through. 

 

The vents on Deku’s limbs blew out steam and the sparks continued crackling with the excess energy. 

 

Mei cheered. **“Nice!** **_Now_ ** **try moving!”**

 

Ochako and Izuku started running forward and nearly tripped as they found that the normal sluggishness with which Deku moved was considerably reduced. 

 

“Oh, I can work with this,” Izuku commented with a wide smile. The duo rushed toward where Ingenium was holding back the Noumu, each relishing the sensation of actual _speed_ in the mech’s movements. They weren’t as fast as the jet-propelled Ingenium, but it was a noticeable improvement. 

 

Ingenium seemed to be holding its own, grappling with the Noumu and keeping the monster at bay. A rocket-powered kick to the Noumu’s midsection finally sent it flying back into the water. 

 

 **“Nailed it!”** came Tensei’s cheer over the comms. 

 

**“Not yet, brother!”**

 

Both mechs braced themselves as the water broke again, spraying both Jaegers as the Noumu resurfaced. The monster went straight for Ingenium, mouth snapping and limbs flying. The silver mech put a defensive arm up, but the sound of shearing metal filled the air.

 

Izuku winced. “Wha-”

 

From one of the bumps on the Noumu’s arm, a large spike had sprouted, puncturing through Ingenium’s right forearm. With a sickening squelch, another spike sprout from the Noumu’s body and punctured through the upper arm on Ingenium.

 

**“Shit! This thing has some more tricks!”**

 

Deku rushed forward only to be knocked back by the Noumu’s tail. 

 

Both Ochako and Izuku hissed as Deku landed on its rear. 

 

“Well, that’s stronger than expected,” Izuku growled as he and Ochako got to their feet. 

 

“Yep, how about we remove that damn thing.”

 

Izuku chuckled. “Now you’re talking.” He turned to the control panel. “Mei, what do we have?”

 

**“Glad you asked. Engaging remotely… aaaaand bam!”**

 

A series of lights illuminated, and a pair of blades erupted from each wrist. They were smaller than the blades he was used to from before, but no less intimidating looking. 

 

“That’ll work,” the Ranger commented with a chuckle. 

 

Ochako gasped. “Incoming!” 

 

Powerful musculature wrapped around Deku’s midsection, pulling it in close only to be kicked back away by one of the Noumu’s rear legs. The clawed foot came into solid contact with Deku’s right leg, throwing it off balance in a way that the pilots had to work to maintain balance. 

 

All the while, the Noumu’s attention was locked onto Ingenium. Both Tenya and Tensei were capable pilots, but it appeared it was taking all of their work and focus just to keep this monster at bay.

 

“Damn it’s fast,” Izuku complained. “You two holding up alright?”

 

Tenya grunted over the intercom. **“We’re alright for now. It seems this Noumu will take all our focus to keep it at bay. Wai- Deku, watch out!”**

 

The tail came barreling into Deku’s midsection a third time, giving Ochako and Izuku only seconds to prepare for it before it collided. 

 

“Not this time!” Ochako yelled.

 

The pair grunted, each shouting out twin curses before grappling with the tail. Deku looped its left arm under the tail, wrapping it around once like a rope as quickly as possible. 

 

 **“Now!”** they shouted in unison, bringing their right arms up and slicing down into the tail with a satisfying squelch.

 

The Noumu roared in response, crying out and releasing its grip on Ingenium. It thrashed backwards, but the more it thrashed, the deeper the blade cut into its tail. With one final grunt of effort, Deku tore through the tail until the Noumu was left with a stump that started spurting its blue blood out into the air.

 

The beast cried out in pain, roaring and flailing wildly, its attention lost for a moment before turning furious eyes on Deku.

 

Izuku smiled nervously. “Well, that worked, I guess.”

 

“Great, do you have a plan?” Ochako responded. “Wait, oh shit- you do! Ingenium! Pin that thing!”

 

Tenya grunted over the intercom. **“Right!”**

 

A lance burst from Ingenium’s right arm, with the mech lurching to its feet and using the jet on the back of its elbow to propel the lance through the Noumu’s neck.

 

 **“Shit!”** Tensei cursed. **“Missed the head!”**

 

Blue blood shot out, covering Ingenium’s pristine silver chassis as the Noumu gurgled furiously. 

 

“It’s okay!” Izuku shouted as Ingenium attempted to withdraw the lance. “Hold him steady!”

 

The silver mech produced a second, smaller spike from its free arm and pinned the Noumu more securely through the shoulder as it screeched, thrashed, and kicked up water. The joints on Ingenium groaned against the massive strength, but it held firm, giving Deku time to prepare to finish the creature off.

 

 **“Use the cuffs! I installed pneumatic pressure in one of the toys!”** Mei shouted over the comms.

 

Izuku and Ochako shared a quick look before shoving the Noumu’s free, thrashing arm away and dropping their arms low for an uppercut, noting the way the pressure gauge on one of the screens was full and flashing. The second the fist came into contact with the Noumu’s chin, a small shockwave, predicated by an ear-popping burst of pressure, burst out of the cuff surrounding Deku’s wrist.

 

Where once the Noumu’s head sat, there was only air.

 

“Well, that’ll work,” Izuku breathed. 

 

 **“I’ll say!”** Tensei cheered. **“Bro, we’ve gotta get one of those!”**

 

Tenya chuckled. **“I daresay it was certainly effective.”**

 

Izuku gestured to the intercom, giving Ochako a glowing look

 

“Shatterdome, this is Deku coming in; the Noumu is down, repeat, the Noumu is down.” Ochako smiled happily

 

The sounds of applause crackled through the speakers in the cockpit.

 

Deku’s pilots shared a look of relief before trudging over to Ingenium. 

 

“You two alright?” Ochako asked.

 

 **“Just fine, a little banged up and we could probably use a fresh coat of paint but just fine.”** Tensei’s heavy sigh created static on the comm channel. **“That wasn’t too bad at all, good job you two. This was your first drop as a team, right?”**

 

Ochako blushed. “Y-yeah.”

 

**“You’re a natural. I know I’m definitely looking forward to working with you again.”**

 

 **“Agreed! Thank you for your hard work,”** Tenya added.

 

The mech bowed respectfully. **“We ought to get back to Idaten for repairs. But we’ll try and hit you up soon!”**

 

“Thanks, guys. Looking forward to it too.” Izuku smiled at Ochako and gave her a quick wink. “We should head back to the Shatterdome, come on.”

 

The brunette nodded, her cheeks were still flushed with exertion. “Yeah, let’s go home.”

 

* * *

It was a smaller celebration than she was expecting, though with how commonplace Noumu attacks were, she suspected this was pretty lively. 

 

 _‘At least the booze is good,’_ she thought to herself as she sipped on her gin and tonic. That was one of the good things about working for an international military group; access to high quality, varied liquors from around the world.

 

She should be careful though, alcohol tolerance wasn’t one of her strongest attributes. Her collar felt too tight, so she unbuttoned it. She hadn’t been sure what to even wear, so she went for her dress uniform; navy blue dress suit, white shirt, but no tie for now. 

 

Looking around, it appeared that the others were enjoying the festivities as well; Toshinori was drinking cerveza while Melissa, who was sipping a glass of red wine herself, seemed to be scolding him about his choice in drink.

 

In the corner of the room and clearly trying to hide it, Aizawa was spiking his coffee with some amber colored liquid before taking drinks with a satisfied expression. 

 

Even Mei appeared to be tipsy, though it was hard to tell with her, considering her consistently manic energy. She was talking Izuku’s ear off about _something_ , though he appeared to be fending her off well enough for now. 

 

Come to think of it… she was awfully close to him… and grabby. Was there a reason she needed to be running her hands up and down Izuku’s chest and arm? Besides the… prosthetic and all that… 

 

Just seeing it set a small pit of something that felt like acid going in her stomach, churning and making her short of breath.

 

She was gonna go and talk to him.

 

Drink in hand, back straight, and chest puffed, the brunette made her way through the crowd, sharing a few happy smiles and waves with various party goers. 

 

“-ing I could maybe take it apart and reassemble it! Maybe I could add some extra stuff, like a blade? You could use a blade, right? Plus, how sold are you on the green accents? I know Melissa means well, but I could make those accents a different color, or even make it so they vent or breathe fire!”

 

Izuku put his hands up, trying to create some distance between himself and the inventor. “Really, Hatsume, I’m perfectly happy with this one!”

 

“Oh, but you could have so much more! This arm is such an untapped well of potential!”

 

Ochako cleared her throat. “Hey, Hatsume, could I borrow Izuku for a bit?”

 

The pink-haired woman whipped around. “Huh? Oh, right! Sure, but at least try to talk some sense into him!”

 

“I’ll do my best,” she giggled, slinging an arm around Izuku’s and dragging him away.

 

After they were far enough away to be out of earshot, Izuku let out a sigh. “Thanks for saving my ass there.”

 

“Yeah, well, it’s an ass worth saving.” 

 

‘ _Dammit, alcohol, too bold!’_

 

Izuku smiled softly, his face tinging slightly red in the low light of the lounge. 

 

Wait.

 

_Did she just make him blush?_

 

The window began to flash with color and Izuku’s attention was momentarily captured, giving Ochako the chance to admire his outfit. He had gone for a simple look, which was unsurprising considering they were on a military base. The same navy blue slacks of his formal uniform that she had and accompanying crisp white shirt. He had elected to ditch the tie and roll up his sleeves, which only made Ochako giggle a little bit considering the fact that his prosthetic didn’t get hot or cold. 

 

“Oh, how cool!” He grabbed Ochako by the hand and led her toward the balcony. “We need to see this, they don’t do it that often!”

 

Ochako’s hand felt hot at the point of contact, relishing in the sensation of his left hand gripping hers gently as he pulled her along.

 

The sky was shimmering with flashes as fireworks painted the sky in shades of white and green. Cold air tickled at Ochako’s neck as her hair began to flutter in the breeze. “Green and white?”

 

Izuku nodded. “Ingenium and…” he turned to Ochako with a warm smile that stole her breath away. “For us, for Deku. Considering the directions it’s coming from, it looks like one of the cadets at the academy wanted to celebrate our debut.”

 

At that moment, Ochako’s phone pinged, forcing her to glance and notice a message from Mina. “I think I know who it is.” She pulled the screen up where the smiling face of her pink-haired was flashing a peace sign in front of a box of fireworks with the rest of Ochako’s cohort in the background.

 

**Mina: Proud of you, girl! We know that was you out there!**

 

Ochako smiled fondly at the screen before stowing it and looking back up at Izuku who she expected to be watching the fireworks still. Instead, he was gazing at Ochako almost… lovingly?

 

Izuku seemed to become aware of the fact that he was staring, clearing his throat and taking a sip of his drink. “Sorry, didn’t mean to…”

 

Ochako felt an electricity in the air, this sort of tension that she’d felt before. She and Izuku had grown close, closer than she ever expected to feel to someone. That was to be expected, she supposed, considering they shared a neural link.

 

“No.” Ochako said the word before she could stop herself. “I don’t mind.”

 

Her co-pilot cocked an eyebrow before his expression softened again. “Right, so uh, what are you drinking?”

 

Small talk? Really? After that look? That wasn’t...

 

“Izuku.” Ochako reached up to turn his face fully toward her. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol emboldening her but… Even with her head slightly fuzzy, she knew that she wanted to get closer to him. 

 

“Ochako?”

 

Screw it.

 

Before she could stop herself, Ochako surged forward, capturing Izuku’s lips with her own. The taste of bourbon intermingled with a hint of lemon from the cocktail she had been drinking. Izuku froze for a moment, obviously surprised. To be honest Ochako was surprised herself, but with Izuku seeming to relax into the kiss, it only emboldened her.

 

Izuku exhaled slowly, humming happily into the kiss and wrapping his arms around Ochako’s waist and deepening the kiss. 

 

Ochako was in heaven, could she… Maybe she should invite him back-

 

Her ringtone chimed and Ochako nearly jumped out of her skin as a rush of self-doubt flooded into her. The fogginess in her head cleared just enough to make her realize exactly what she was doing. She disconnected their kiss and immediately put her hands up in apology. “Izuku, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-” She felt her face heat up to the point it felt like it would burn up. “I should go, I’m so sorry!”

 

Ochako rushed away as Izuku spluttered and floundered on the balcony.

 

What was she thinking? She just…

 

She had ruined it by slamming her stupid lips into his! Things had been so fun and easy and now she went and just…

 

Her bedroom door slammed behind her and she flopped onto her bed, still feeling the tingling in her lips and the taste of bourbon on her breath.

 

Fuck.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry
> 
> Thanks, Mack for beta reading this chapter!


	9. Galvanized Steel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku and Ochako have a much-needed conversation.  
> Spoiler alert: it gets a little spicy, keep an eye out for the warning for the tone shift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the mini cliffhanger last chapter

Izuku touched his lips, the lingering tingle from Ochako’s kiss still leaving him frozen with shock. 

 

Had that… just happened?

 

Had she really just _kissed him?_

 

...and then walked away.

 

Wait, how long had he been standing there like an idiot, rooted to the spot?

 

_Shit._

 

Izuku’s body spurred into motion all at once, a hurried pace that almost saw him burst through the sliding door on the patio when his hands shook too much to open it properly right away. His pace quickened as he quickly dismissed the concerns of the other party guests and made his way hurriedly into the halls of the base.

 

He knew that there was… something going on between them, he wasn’t blind. Between meeting, training, test drops, and today, they’d known each other just under three months. In that time, however, he’d noticed their bond deepening at a rate he couldn’t have ever predicted. 

 

Maybe it had something to do with sharing a neural link with her when they entered the Drift? He _knew_ things about her, things that she didn’t even have to say. 

 

He knew her favorite treat was mochi, specifically green tea mochi. 

 

He knew that she loved cherry blossoms in the springtime, especially when the petals began raining down during a heavy gust of wind. 

 

He knew that she preferred to sleep in whenever she could because she was a restless sleeper. 

 

He knew that she missed her friends from her cohort, especially Tsu.

 

He knew that she checked him out when she thought he wasn’t looking.

 

He knew that she felt safe when she was around him.

 

He knew that he-

 

Izuku smiled. Some things you should say in person when the time was right.

 

* * *

 

Ochako chugged more water, trying to dispel the sick feeling that was churning in her stomach. The awful mix of burning alcohol and the bile that was building up from anxiety. She felt short of breath and claustrophobic in this tiny room with no windows.

 

 _‘I need air. I need air_ **_now_ ** _.’_

 

She had already shed her dress uniform, having nearly ripped the pants off her body and unbuttoned the constricting shirt, gulping in as much air as she could, her legs forming goosebumps in the cold, still air of her room and her chest heaving, begging to be free of her bra so she could expand her ribcage even more. It all felt too tight, too much.

 

What had she done?

 

What had she been thinking!?

 

She stifled a groan because that was exactly the problem; she _hadn’t_ been thinking. Her desires had kicked in before she could stop herself and had forced her lips on Izuku without thinking of the consequences.

 

Her whole body shivered as she stifled a dry sob.

 

The door banged quietly and Ochako had to fight to keep from falling backward in surprise. “J-just a minute!” She cursed the waver in her voice, rooting around and finding some sweatpants and a t-shirt as she shed her bra and dress shirt and slipped into the far more comfortable garments. She may look like a hot mess, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to be as comfortable as possible right now.

 

Approaching the door with some trepidation, she slowly unlatched it to find the last person she wanted to see right now in her confused, frazzled state.

 

“I-Izuku- Hey.”

 

The man’s brow was furrowed, creating deep worry lines across his face. “Hey, Ochako. Can we talk?”

 

She exhaled slowly. “Yeah, that… of course. Uh, come in.”

 

He nodded, waiting for her to step out of the way and fully invite him in as he stepped into her room. Everything about him seemed tense and full of a worry that only compounded the guilt Ochako was already feeling.

 

“So,” he started after a moment.

 

“So,” she responded.

 

“That… kiss.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Do you feel comfortable talking about it?”

 

She shook her head. “No, but we should anyway.”

 

He winced. “I can… I don’t want to make you any more upset than you already are. I’m sorry, I should have given you more space before approaching you about this.”

 

“No, Izuku.” She sighed. “This is all my fault, I need to be a big girl and deal with the consequences.”

 

Izuku stood quietly for another moment. “If you’re sure.”

 

“I am.” Might as well rip off the band-aid. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to force myself on you. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable that must have made you. We’re supposed to be co-pilots and friends, and I’ve just ruined everything all because some gin made me bold.”

 

He frowned, looking more like a kicked puppy than he had any right to. “Was it… _all_ just the alcohol?”

 

“...No.” Ochako’s hands drifted up to her hair, beginning to ruffle it without thinking as she tried to find _something_ to do with them. “I may or may not have developed some… feelings for you since we met.”

 

Izuku sat down, his face a mask of calm, but she could see the uncertainty that was there. “What kind of feelings?”

 

God, he was gonna make her say it. “I- without meaning to, I’ve been falling for you, Izuku.” Her lip quivered. “I didn’t expect to and I know it makes things weird between us, but I don’t want to lie to you. You deserve the truth. I know that means you probably don’t want to pilot with me anymore, and I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to find a new co-pilot, but-”

 

“That’s a relief,” he breathed. “I was worried I was misreading things.”

 

“...What?”

 

Izuku smiled the softest smile she’d ever seen. “I had a feeling, I may be oblivious on a lot of things, but you and I are connected, Ochako.” He stood up but didn’t get any closer, clearly giving her some space. “I’ve noticed the changes and I know that without meaning to, I’ve been falling for you too.”

 

_‘...WHAT!?’_

 

He took a cautious step forward, clearly gauging to see if Ochako would flinch or back away, but she was too stunned by his words- his _admission_ to do anything but want to get closer to him too.

 

So she stepped forward as well.

 

“Ochako, you and I share a bond that few people get to experience. I’ve been in your head and you’ve been in mine. I know things about you that you’ve never explicitly told me. I’m sure you have a similar experience with me?”

 

He wasn’t wrong, she knew lots of things about him.

 

She knew that his favorite food was his mother’s homemade katsudon.

 

She knew that he’d gotten bullied as a kid for being the smallest.

 

She knew that he thought of Marshal Yagi as a second father.

 

She knew that he loved the coast and the sea, even though it was usually his battleground.

 

She knew that he felt happiest when he was around her.

 

She knew that he wasn’t lying when he said he had feelings for her. She understood that lingering emotion that hung in the air when they were around one another.

 

Ochako nodded. 

 

“Then you should know that the kiss?” 

 

When had he gotten so close? Had they really been slowly walking toward each other this whole time? 

 

His left hand gently brushed her hair off her cheek. 

 

“That kiss was not one-sided.”

 

Izuku’s eyes were looking at her with something that she had seen before but hadn’t understood until now. 

 

It was pure, unadulterated adoration.

 

“And, I know now might not be the right time, but I’d like to pick up where we left off.”

 

Her breath caught in her throat as the hand that had brushed her hair away caressed her cheek. “Y-you do?”

 

Izuku nodded. “Only if you want to.”

 

Her body reacted for his, throwing her arms around Izuku’s neck and bringing her lips to his. She felt him chuckle happily into her, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her ever so slightly off of her feet and holding her even closer to him.

 

The anxiety that had been churning inside her vanished in an instant as all of her fears were silenced as the man she had unintentionally chasing after showed her that none of her feelings were unreciprocated. She wrapped her legs around his waist, getting as close as possible but also throwing him off balance. 

 

Their lips broke as they both gasped, Izuku’s legs stumbling around until he managed to sit down hard on the bed, bringing Ochako down with him.

 

He grunted, smiling sheepishly at her as he adjusted his seating position so she could comfortably sit on his lap with her legs still wrapped behind him. In this position, she felt something begin to press into her and a blush raced its way up her whole body, surely turning her bright red. 

 

“Do you… want to stay here tonight?”

 

Izuku’s eyebrows rose as his own face took on some color. 

 

“I don’t mean-” she bit her lip nervously. “Just, holding you, kissing you… it’s nice. Really nice, and I kind of want to cuddle you tonight if that’s okay with you.”

 

“O-oh, yeah, that’s fine, great even.” He lifted her up easily, setting her down next to him. “Here, I’ll go change in my room and-”

 

“No, you don’t have to do that, just…” She tensed, not believing how bold she was getting. “I don’t mind if you just… sleep in your underwear. It’s not like I haven’t seen you changing into your plug suit.”

 

He smirked. “I knew you were peeping.”

 

Ochako flopped back dramatically, groaning and covering her face with both hands. “Well can you _blame_ me!?”

 

Izuku started laughing softly, but Ochako could hear the clattering of a belt and the zip of Izuku’s pants.

 

When she dared peek between her fingers, he was just finishing unbuttoning his shirt and kicking off his socks. 

 

Her mouth went dry as she fought the urge to amend her request for him to stay the night so they could cuddle and turn it into something more… forward.

 

“Is this okay?” he asked, putting his clothes in a somewhat folded pile. 

 

As Ochako’s eyes raked over every inch of exposed skin, she could only nod quietly.

 

His eyes looked over her too, and she realized that after flopping back, her t-shirt had hiked up a bit, exposing her stomach. Izuku walked toward her slowly, looking something like a predatory animal as his eyes glinted in the low light of her room. 

 

Was this happening?

 

He leaned down, gently resting his hands under the sides of her abdomen and leaning down.

 

Oh my god, it was happening.

 

His lips drew close to her core, her eyes shutting softly in anticipation as he-

 

_*PFFBBBBLT*_

 

Ochako yelped as Izuku blew a raspberry right in the middle of her stomach.

 

She swatted at him indignantly as he laid down next to her. “NOT cool!” Her eyes narrowed. “You’ll pay dearly for that.”

 

Her fingers darted to his stomach and she began gently tickling him, watching his eyes widened as he began bursting into a fit of giggles. 

 

“O-Ochako, n-no, hahahahha, you ca- hahahah, can’t-”

 

She took advantage of his lapse in defenses and straddled his thighs, pinning him down so she could return the favor and blew a raspberry of her own on his abs.

 

Izuku let out an undignified squeak and his arms wrapped around Ochako, bringing her face up to his. “I have you now.”

 

“Oh my~” she said with an overemphasized drawl, beating her eyelashes at him and pouting her lips. 

 

Izuku snorted, bringing them both down so they could lie next to each other.

 

Ochako pretended to huff, but instead turned around, pressing herself into him so they could spoon. She sighed contentedly as she felt his arms wrap around her.

 

To her surprise, Izuku’s mechanical arm wasn’t cold like she was expecting. Instead, it felt slightly warm to the touch and seemed to hum almost imperceptibly, feeling almost like a heartbeat.

 

Izuku’s lips pressed into the back of her head, peppering down to her neck. She turned, craning her neck so she could capture his lips one more time, savoring the feeling before nestling back in and reaching to turn off her lights.

 

“Hey, Ochako?” Izuku whispered as the lights went out and he pulled the covers over them.

 

She hummed to let him know she was listening.

 

“I’m really happy right now.”

 

Ochako smiled, finding his left hand and squeezing it gently. “I am too.”

 

“Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight.”

 

* * *

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)Well, it’s time. Small Mights, avert your eyes now( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

* * *

 

The glow from an artificial sunlight lamp caused Izuku to crack an eye. As the world came into focus, the smell of strawberries and flowers filled his nose. His eyes looked over the mop of brown hair in front of him and the memories of the night before started filling in.

 

He smiled, planting another soft kiss on the back of Ochako’s head and causing her to mewl quietly in response.

 

“Mmmhey, Zuku.”

 

“Hey, Ochako.”

 

The young woman slowly turned over to face him, snaking one arm under him and draping the other over his side and nestling into his chest. 

 

Izuku’s senses woke up slowly, but one thing became abundantly clear as Ochako’s stomach pressed into something and she let out a soft gasp.

 

He may not be awake fully, but one part of him was.

 

“Well good morning to you too,” she said with a suggestive tone, her lips finding their way to his collarbone and sending shivers down his spine. 

 

Izuku grunted, shifting his hips back a bit. “S-sorry about that.”

 

Her brown eyes caught his, shining in the warm light. “Why?

 

“Just, didn’t mean to, you know-” He gasped as he felt Ochako’s hand wander down to cup him. 

 

“Don’t be sorry, not like you can help it, right?” Her hand slowly began shifting along his length.

 

Izuku hissed a bit. “...Ochako?”

 

“Hmmm?” She planted another kiss on his neck, then another and another. “Too much?”

 

“N-no-”

 

Her pace picked up a bit, eliciting a groan from Izuku. “That’s good, cause I really don’t wanna stop.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Mhmmmm~”

 

Izuku gasped as the hem of his underwear shifted down, exposing him slightly and feeling the palm of Ochako’s hand pass over him. 

 

“Let’s get rid of these, yeah?” Ochako gently pressed Izuku’s shoulder, pushing him onto his back. She carefully removed his boxer-briefs and exposed him to the air. The young woman smirked as she ran a finger down him. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any more appealing.”

 

Izuku shuddered. “You’re feeling confident.”

 

Ochako nodded. “I have the man of my dreams at my mercy, of _course,_ I’m feeling confident.”

 

“Man of your dreams, huh?”

 

The brunette nodded, bending down and bringing her face close to his member. “You’ve been in my head, you tell me.” She planted a kiss on the tip and sent a shiver throughout Izuku’s entire body. 

 

“I didn’t think you wanted to do this.”

 

She shrugged. “That was last night. I was still feeling delicate then but now I’m not.” Her eyes flashed as she looked up at him, kissing his tip again. “I’ve been attracted to you since day one, and it’s only gotten more intense since I started falling for you as hard as I have. I’m not afraid of you rejecting my feelings, so I’m going to savor every moment.”

 

With that, she resumed gently kissing the head of his length, whilst also stroking him up and down with a tender hand. She was building him up slowly, testing the waters as she grew accustomed to how Izuku would react to her. Her lips would plant a kiss on the head, then on his hip or his stomach, each connection sending a wave of pleasure and electricity through Izuku’s whole body.

 

Her tongue darted out, running up Izuku’s length and guiding her lips to his top, slowly bringing it into her mouth as she caressed the rest of him with one hand and let the other hand grab onto his hip. 

 

Izuku shuddered, feeling intensity like nothing else before as Ochako very quickly grew accustomed to taking care of him. She let her tongue glide over him, careful not to give him too much stimulation at once. 

 

His fingers knit themselves in her hair, enjoying the softness of her locks as her head bobbed slowly up and down, encouraging her to not only continue but to go faster.

 

She seemed to grow bolder, humming and moaning as she took as much of him as she could. The subtle vibrations radiating through his core.

 

Minutes passed by in absolute bliss, Izuku groaning and offering soft curses of encouragement.

 

“O-Ochako, I’m gonna-”

 

The woman hummed again, acknowledging that she had heard him but not slowing down or showing any signs of stopping.

 

“Ochako, I’m-” He grunted, feeling his eyes roll back and his core tense up as he released. Ochako latched on, seemingly emboldened as she took it all. 

 

As he finished, twitching and pulsing in her grasp, Ochako leaned back, taking her time to swallow as much as she could before reaching for a towel to wipe off the excess. 

 

She crawled up, reaching for Izuku’s face and kissing him deeply. “How was that?”

 

Izuku felt speechless, it had been like nothing he’d ever experienced before, but that didn’t seem to grasp what he was feeling. 

 

“...Let me show you.”

 

Ochako tilted her head, protesting as Izuku got up but ceasing her protests as he started kissing his way up her thighs. He could feel how hot she was, even through her sweatpants. 

 

“Can I?” he asked, looking up at her as he reached for the hem.

 

She nodded eagerly, lifting her hips and helping him peel off her sweats and underwear in one go. At her core, she was glistening and Izuku truly knew why they had a term called “sexual appetite.”

 

He was hungry.

 

His lips returned to her thighs, enjoying the softness of her skin. Ochako seemed to be all soft all over. Sure, she was just as athletic and strong as he was, sporting powerful thighs and a defined core of her own, but right now in his hands, she was all softness.

 

She hiked up her shirt, freeing her chest and giving Izuku a spectacular view of her breasts. The woman reached for his left hand, pulling him by the wrist up to her breast and encouraging him to knead it.

 

Izuku, obviously, complied quite happily.

 

He did, however, cursed his right arm at that moment for lacking the full sense of touch he needed to appreciate the rest of her the way he wanted to. Izuku let his right hand massage her gently, using it to smooth circles into her skin.

 

His lips made their way to the top of her legs, mouth hoving inches from her center and feeling the heat radiating off of her.

 

“Izuku, please, don’t stop.”

 

His mouth descended, giving the young woman exactly what she wanted as he hungrily began exploring Ochako’s folds. She was soaked by the time he had gotten to this point, so he made the most of it and began working her lips up to her clit. 

 

Ochako let out a keening cry every time his tongue hit her most sensitive parts, encouraging him further as her hands grabbed onto his head, pressing him ever so slightly deeper into her.

 

Releasing the breast in one of his hands, Izuku brought his left hand down, quickly sucking on his index finger before resuming work on Ochako while also inserting the same finger.

 

Judging by Ochako’s gasps, she approved of the escalation. 

 

Izuku quickened his pace, treating her clit more frequently until he was teasing it at a constant pace, gently using the tip of his tongue to incite more pleasure from his partner. 

 

Ochako’s fingers flexed, her breathing growing more erratic as her legs began to shake. “Fuck, Izuku, I’m gonna-” 

 

Her jaw snapped shut, teeth clacking audibly as she began tensing up, legs now bending behind Izuku’s head and thighs squeezing. 

 

Undeterred and wanting Ochako to ride out the full extent of the orgasm she was experiencing, Izuku maintained his pace, giving the woman as much as he could before his jaw inevitably cramped up.

 

Thankfully, Ochako seemed to ride out the last waves of her orgasm before that, legs unceremoniously relaxing and dropping to the side and giving Izuku a chance to come up for air. 

 

He was able to get a better look at her as he rose up. Her cheeks were fully flushed, and there was a slight sheen of sweat on her brow. Her chest was heaving and her eyes were shut, looking like she had just completed a heavy workout.

 

Izuku rose, cracking his knees, wiping his mouth with the other side of the towel Ochako had used earlier, and laying down next to Ochako who immediately pressed back into him.

 

“I could get used to this,” she breathed.

 

Izuku chuckled. “Does that mean I did alright?”

 

She tapped him in a halfhearted attempt at a swat. “Like you even need to ask.”

 

“I don’t like to assume.”

 

Ochako’s hand weakly reached over and slapped Izuku’s butt. “Yeah yeah, ass out of you and me, well I’m tapping _that_ ass again, got it?”

 

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

“There’s a good soldier.” Ochako smiled, leaning up and kissing him. “Now let’s go back to sleep, I’m suddenly very tired again.”

 

Izuku smiled back, kissing her on the forehead. “I think that sounds great.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that happened.


	10. Rust and Metal Shavings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> B Plot baby

“Kill confirmed,” Ochako announced into the comm. “Noumu down and Deku is heading back to base.”

 

**“Good job, you two. You’ve been on top of your game lately. That’s your third kill to date as a pair.”** Toshinori sounded proud.  **“Come on home, we’ll see you in a bit.”**

 

Ochako smiled contentedly. She couldn’t explain why, but her bond with Izuku felt stronger than ever.

 

Okay, she totally could explain why, but she wasn’t going to announce it aloud where the comms might pick up.

 

Next to her, Izuku chuckled softly, clearly having shared her thoughts through the Drift. Normally, she’d feel a bit embarrassed, but after the thorough ravishing that Izuku had been giving her whenever she came knocking, she had zero complaints. In fact, whereas at first she definitely  _ would _ be embarrassed, now she just wanted to tease her co-pilot a bit. 

 

She looped some of the  _ activities _ they had gotten up to in her head, replaying some of the sweet nothings she had whispered in his ear in the heat of the moment. 

 

Izuku cleared his throat, visibly flustered in the corner of Ochako’s vision. 

 

_ ‘Funny, you weren’t this red when you were eating my-’ _

 

Izuku cleared his throat even louder. “Anyway! Uh, lunch after this?”

 

“Hmm,” Ochako pondered it, she  _ was _ hungry. “Sure, but after I think I’d like a bath.”

 

The man sighed, very much picking up on the implications. “As you wish.”

 

* * *

 

Aizawa checked his watch, waiting for any sign of the mark. He didn’t like to brag, but he felt that he blended in pretty well, so there shouldn’t be anything that would tip anyone off that he was military.

 

The alley was quiet except for the din of movement coming from the main street. This borough was pretty popular with drug dealers, which was why he was staking it out, but so far he’d little luck finding any trace of the one he was looking for.

 

He produced the small vial, crudely labeled “Trigger” and sighed. Where the hell was this guy?

 

Suddenly a raspy voice started laughing. “You been waiting long, friend?”

 

Aizawa did nothing to betray the fact that he had been caught off guard. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Oh don’t be so shy,” the other man said, finally coming into view. He was dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, with a pair of red shoes. His face was pale, like he spent all his time indoors, with chapped lips and eyes that glinted slightly red in the dim light. “You’re a customer, right? Though you look new, is this your second hit or something?”

 

Aizawa nodded. “Yeah, got my first dose off a friend, he told me to hang around here and someone would find me.”

 

“No sweat, but of course I need to know you’re not a narc.” He produced a switchblade. “So let’s be honest with one another.”

 

The officer shrugged. “Honest, huh? Alright.” He produced a pistol and pressed it to the dealer’s temple. “You’re coming with me and we’ll be nice and honest, how about that?”

 

“...Fuck.” 

 

* * *

 

“Sir.”

 

“What is it, Kurogiri?”

 

The dark-haired man straightened his tie. “Tomura hasn’t checked in.”

 

With a sigh, the other man removed his gloves and set them on the table. “Doctor, you keep working. I’ll attend to this.”

 

The doctor nodded but didn’t look up from the table on which he was operating.

 

“Walk with me, Kurogiri.”

 

“Of course.” Kurogiri followed his employer out of the small operating room and into the hallway. 

 

The employer scratched his chin. “Now, when you say that he missed a check-in, you don’t mean to bother me with one of Tomura’s diversions or tantrums, right?”

 

“No, sir. After your last admonishment, Tomura has been on top of all his check-ins. This is… unusual right now. I fear something may have happened.”

 

With another sigh, the employer opened the door to his office and walked straight toward one of his cabinets. “Where is Dabi right now?”

 

“He’s on a run, picking up a potential subject.”

 

The man nodded. “Fair. Spinner?”

 

“He ought to be, should I summon him?”

 

“Yes. See if he can’t track Tomura’s whereabouts down. At best, he’s on a bender, at worst, we may be compromised.”

 

Kurogiri bowed. “Understood, sir.”

 

“And Kurogiri?”

 

A chill ran down the man’s spine at his employer’s tone. “Sir?”

 

“Don’t fail me.”

 

“...Yes, sir.”

 

* * *

 

“You seem happier lately,” Melissa commented as she adjusted the settings on Izuku’s arm. 

 

Izuku nodded. “I am.” The cool air of Melissa’s office was nice, even against his exposed skin. It had been a while since his last diagnostics check-up, so he felt extra off-balance without his metal arm. 

 

“Could your new co-pilot be the source of this happiness?” she asked with a coy smile. “I saw you chasing after her a few weeks ago at the party. Then neither of you returned.” Melissa wriggled her eyebrows. 

 

“No getting anything by you, is there, Doctor Shield?” Izuku smiled ruefully. 

 

She winked. “Nope!”

 

“Well, to answer your question; yes.”

 

Melissa let out a soft squeal of happiness as she hopped. “I knew it! Oh my god, you two are so cute together!”

 

“How many people are talking about this?”

 

She waved him off. “Oh, just the people at the party, don’t worry. Lord knows Mei could care less about gossip on the base, and she’s the only one with lips loose enough to let something like this out.”

 

“Well, that’s a relief. Speaking of people at the party, no Aizawa lately? He wasn’t in the command room yesterday for our drop. Is everything okay?”

 

Melissa frowned. “Huh, now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him in a few days either. It might be worth talking to Uncle Toshi.”

 

“Right, will do.”

 

“But enough about work, I wanna hear more about you and your lady friend! Are you official? Have you gotten gifts yet? And most importantly: when can I expect an invitation to the wedding?”

 

Izuku laughed, nearly falling over as his center of gravity hitched with the absence of his arm.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, you,” Ochako called as Izuku returned to his room and flopped down on the bed. “How’d your checkup with Melissa go?”

 

Izuku wrapped his arms around Ochako, pulling her close and sighing contentedly as he nestled himself in her embrace. “It was fine, she’s thinking about trying some different metals that might make the arm more durable without increasing weight.”

 

Ochako pressed Izuku’s head into her breast, running her fingers through his hair and enjoying the feeling of intimacy. She hadn’t dreamed that this would be possible before; entering a relationship with Izuku was a huge mental hurdle that she had sort of stumbled over drunkenly. But now, a few weeks later and settled into their relationship, things had been so comfortable. She was really, truly happy, especially in the little moments like this where she could just hold him and they could talk about their day. Best of all, she could comfortably lounge in Izuku’s room in nothing but her underwear and a tank top just like she’d fantasized about for weeks.

 

Granted, most of their days were spent together, whether it be training, piloting, running diagnostics, or sleeping together, but still. It was nice.

 

“Hey, did you notice that Aizawa wasn’t in the command center yesterday?”

 

Ochako hummed. “Yeah?”

 

“Well, apparently he’s been off base for a few days. I talked to Melissa about it and she encouraged me to talk to Toshi.”

 

She planted a kiss on the top of his head. “Well, if you’re worried, we can talk to the Marshal tomorrow? It’s a little late today.”

 

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

 

Ochako brought Izuku’s face up to hers and began trailing kisses down from his hairline to his lips. “Do you,” she kissed him once more, “want to go get dinner?”

 

“Hmm, yeah I’m pretty hungry.”

 

She planted one more kiss on his lips before shifting to stand up. “Okay, let me put some pants on and we can get going.”

 

Izuku grabbed her thigh and pulled her back to the bed. “Nuh-uh, I have all I need to eat right here.”

 

Ochako’s eyebrows rose before her face settled into a satisfied smirk. “Well, if you insist~” She sidled over to straddle Izuku’s head. “I’m all yours~”

 

* * *

 

Toshinori stretched his arms, feeling the ruined skin of his abdomen shift a bit as he did so. It was a bizarre adjustment, and the person he saw in the mirror was someone he often didn’t recognize, but it was better than the alternative. Thanks to Izuku’s intervention, he was alive and actually on the mend. He caught his reflection in the microwave, pressing a finger to the slightly less sunken valley of his cheek. His appetite was still minimal, but it was coming back slowly, day by day. 

 

His eyes, too, were less shadowed. It helped that he was getting more sleep since his breathing had started improving. Things were… actually looking up.

 

Sure, he wouldn’t ever be able to pilot a Jaeger again, but that was a small price to pay to continue living. Plus, he owed it to Izuku to take care of himself as best he could.

 

He heard a knocking at his front door and stopped checking his reflection. Toshinori drew his robe around himself and walked over to the door, opening it and immediately smiling. 

 

“Speak of the devil, I was just thinking about you.” Toshinori stepped aside to let Izuku and Ochako into his apartment. “How are you two doing?”

 

Izuku grinned. “Good, Toshi, how are you holding up?”

 

He flexed his bicep, which thankfully had stopped shrinking and smiled reassuringly. “Never better! In fact, I think I could take down a Noumu with my bare hands now!”

 

Ochako giggled and nodded. “You probably could, I’d pay good money to see the scared look on that Noumu’s face.”

 

“Ah, well, can I get you two some tea? Coffee? Is it too early for a drink?”

 

Izuku narrowed his eyes. “Does your doctor know you’ve been drinking alcohol?”

 

Toshinori winked. “Keep my secret? I promise it was only at your party.”

 

“I promise I  _ will _ sic Melissa on you if I have to,” Izuku threatened with a mock-serious expression on his face.

 

“Alright, alright.” Toshinori put his hands up guiltily. “Tea it is. Now, what brings you two by? Just visiting the local cripple for the day?”

 

Ochako swatted at him gently. “You stop that!”

 

His chuckle petered out into a sigh. “Just afford an old man a few self-deprecating jokes here and there.” 

 

“No,” Izuku replied.

 

“Ah, well, worth a try. I’ll come up with new material for my standup. But you didn’t answer my question, what brings you two by?” Toshinori padded into the kitchen, pouring water into his electric kettle before rejoining the two younger pilots in the living room. 

 

“Well, it’s about Aizawa,” Izuku started.

 

Toshinori paused. “What about him?”

 

“We haven’t seen him in a while, I guess I was getting worried.”

 

The marshal pursed his lips, unsure of how much he should tell the two. “I can assure you he’s fine. As for his current whereabouts, I’m afraid it’s classified.”

 

“Classified…” Izuku frowned. “Huh, okay.” 

 

Ochako looked at her co-pilot with concern. “Do you think we’ll find out what’s been going on soon?”

 

Toshinori considered for a moment. Thus far they’d had little success getting their captive to break. It seemed conventional interrogation didn’t faze him. If only they had something he wanted… some sliver of dirt on him or a crumb to feed. “Maybe, I assure you that as soon as we have something to go on, we’ll let all the rangers know. Is that okay for now?”

 

“Yeah,” Izuku sighed. “Thanks, Toshi.”

 

The kettle beeped and Toshinori stood up. “I wish I could tell you more, but I assure you Aizawa is fine.”

 

“I appreciate that, it’s a weight off my mind.” Izuku smiled reassuringly, but Toshinori knew enough about his protege to know when something was bothering him. 

 

He returned to the kitchen, pouring three cups of tea and considered the situation they’d been put in thus far. They had a lead on a street drug that had trace elements linked to some of the compounds only found in Noumu. A bust like this was fairly common; more than once had they caught someone trying to sell Noumu bone powder as a virility solution. It was complete crockery, but they couldn’t leave any stone unturned. 

 

_ This,  _ however… the components found in this “Trigger” were frighteningly potent. The kind of potency that just couldn’t be salvaged from a dead Noumu easily.

 

It warranted an investigation that Aizawa was more than willing to carry out. He had been in cover on and off for years; keeping his face and name out of public Pan Pacific documentation. A capable officer who doubled as an effective agent.

 

Though for now, it was nothing Ochako or Izuku need concern themselves with. Not until they had hard evidence.

 

Izuku’s voice wandered in from the living room. “Toshi, you alright in there?”

 

The older man brought himself back to reality. “Yes! Be right there, sorry about that. I caught myself zoning out.”

 

_ ‘I should enjoy these quiet moments, something tells me something even worse than the past Noumu is on the horizon.’ _

 

* * *

 

Kurogiri finished stirring the martini with a satisfied hum. Bartending was a hobby he hadn’t expected to stick with for so long, but it calmed him. It was purposeful busy work, and that was the kind of work that he enjoyed the most.

 

When he wasn’t a borderline babysitter to a group of drug dealers and assassins.

 

As if on cue, his phone rang. With a groan, he answered it. “Kurogiri.”

 

**“Yo, it’s Spinner.”**

 

“Anything to report?”

 

The man on the other end of the line shifted for a moment in silence.  **“Yeah but it’s… Look, I followed some leads, but nothing is turning up. It’s like he just vanished. Last thing anyone saw, he was with some scruffy dude with dark hair.”**

 

“So, half the population of that particular borough.  _ Helpful.” _ Kurogiri let the last word drip with all the contempt he was feeling at that particular moment.

 

**“Don’t shoot the messenger, man. Crusty is the one who got himself nabbed.”**

 

Kurogiri kneaded his brow, already feeling the stress headache coming on. “Just… keep looking, okay? Is Toga available?”

 

**“Aw… come on man, you know I don’t like working with her.”**

 

“Your opinion is noted, but not important to me. You need all the help you can get, so enlist her aide.”

 

Spinner groaned.  **“Yeah, yeah. Alright. I’ll talk to crazy bitch. But if she stabs me I’m calling it hazard pay.”**

 

“Bold of you to assume we have hazard pay.”

 

**_“Why did I join this fucking weirdo group anyway.”_ ** Spinner hung up with one final groan, leaving Kurogiri with his martini that he  _ was _ planning on delivering to the boss…

 

He took a sip and sat down at a barstool, draining the martini in a second, long draught. 

 

Smacking his lips and deciding he could use maybe just  _ one _ more, he leaned over the counter and grabbed the bottle of gin.

 

* * *

 

Aizawa was losing his goddamn mind. They had kept this idiot in lockup now for a week, and all he’d done in all that time was ask if he could play video games. Eventually, Aizawa had caved and bought the dumbass a console that the crew had hardwired to be incapable of sending or receiving a wireless signal.

 

_ ‘Fucking waste of my time.’ _

 

He glanced up, looking through the one-way mirror and seeing their prisoner in the same position he’d been in all day; sitting on his bed and cursing at the screen.

 

_ ‘Maybe he’d be more talkative after he’d gotten to play a bit longer.’ _

 

There was a knock on the door, so Aizawa rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stood up to answer it. Maybe someone was here to relieve him of babysitting duty.

 

On the other side of the door stood Tensei Iida and Enji Todoroki. 

 

Tensei was the first to speak. “You look like hell.”

 

“Thanks. Glad you two are here, let’s talk.” Aizawa stepped away to let the two men into the room.

 

“You care to tell me why you called me away from my post?” Enji growled. “You know I hate coming down here.”

 

Aizawa nodded. “Yeah, but we’re slowly informing some of the more veteran rangers to keep you on alert. I know that Idaten and Todoroki industries are up to date on the latest technology, and we’d like to propose a joint op with our forces stationed here at Shatterdome.”

 

“Where’s Izuku, then?” Tensei asked.

 

“He hasn’t been informed yet. Thus far we’re keeping this under wraps, only the senior staff and you two are in on this. The smaller the circle, the less risk for leaks.”

 

Enji nodded. “Fine, that’s fair. So what is this about?”

 

“Are either of you familiar with a street drug called “Trigger”?

 

Both men shook their heads. 

 

“I’m not surprised. Settle in, this is a long story, and when I’m done, I’m confident you’ll understand why this is alarming to us and we why need this jackass to start talking.” Aizawa gestured with his thumb to the man on the other side of the glass.

 

* * *

 

Izuku shifted in the middle of the night, eyes blinking open in the darkness. He felt Ochako shift around in her sleep and he smiled softly to himself. 

 

As carefully as he could, he extracted himself from the tangle of limbs that was his girlfriend and placed the blanket back over her. Ochako didn’t seem to even register his movement, continuing to snore softly and drool just a bit on Izuku’s pillow.

 

Izuku stretched and checked the clock, which read 3:12 in the morning. 

 

He’s been dreaming but he couldn’t fully remember what it was about. All he could remember was a feeling of dread looming. Not one to take stock in prophetic dreams, he tried to put it out of his mind.

 

Izuku looked over his shoulder at Ochako, feeling his heart swell with love. 

 

Even if something terrible was on the way, he knew that they’d defeat it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not using the plot of Pacific Rim for the endgame, I can tell you that much


	11. Tantalum Carbide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brief respite is cut short

Ochako giggled as Izuku nestled into the nape of her neck, enjoying the feeling of his close-cropped but surprisingly fluffy hair tickling at her jawline. It had been a relatively relaxing morning, with Ingenium having taken down a Noumu just the other day further up the coast. Noumu still didn’t show up more often than once every few weeks which meant that they ought to have some time to breathe easy and focus on combat training.

 

“You’re mumbling,” Izuku murmured, planting a kiss to her collarbone.

 

She sighed contentedly and felt a shiver run down her spine at the sensation. “Add that to the list of habits I’ve picked up from you.”

 

“Fair enough.” He pushed himself up so that he could actually look at her with an absolutely adoring expression plastered on his face. “Speaking of habits, I’ve got a craving for some mochi. What do you say we see about taking some shore leave and head inland a bit.”

 

Ochako quirked an eyebrow. “Izuku Midoriya, it sounds like you’re asking me out on a proper date.”

 

“I mean, as much as I’m sure you love staying on the base and our ramen runs in town, I think it’d be nice to just get out of uniform for a while and just…” He sighed dreamily, “Be us for a bit.”

 

Her heartbeat was suddenly much heavier in her chest as she reflected on how much she cared for this man. “I’d love that.”

 

“Really?” His face lit up, a grin stretching from ear to ear. “I was worried you might-”

 

“Think you were being silly? No,” she assured, kissing him on the lips softly, “I think you’re sweet.”

 

Izuku hummed happily. “We could maybe stop by my home town? I’m sure my mom would love to meet yo-”

 

The alarms started blaring suddenly, causing both pilots to jump in shock. 

 

“No way…” Izuku muttered, waiting for the announcement. 

 

**“This is not a drill, repeat; this is not a drill. We have two category three Noumu incoming. Deku, Ground Zero, report to your docking bays and prepare for drop.”**

 

Without another word, Izuku and Ochako nodded at one another, practically leaping out of bed and rushing out the door of Izuku’s room toward the docking bay.

 

* * *

 

Izuku rolled his shoulders, checking the comms as he and Ochako waited for instruction.

 

The grating voice of Katsuki flared to life over the comms.  **“Don’t fuck this up for us,** **_Deku.”_ **

 

Before Izuku could speak, Ochako reached for the comm. “Just so long as you think you can keep up.”

 

There was a guffaw on the other end as Kirishima began howling with laughter as Katsuki started cursing under his breath, showing a remarkable amount of self-control that didn’t go unnoticed by the pilots of Deku.

 

**“Are you children quite finished?”** came the tired and slightly irritated voice of Enji Todoroki over the intercom.

 

“Apologies, Marshal. Take point and we’ll follow your lead.” Izuku sighed quietly, unintentionally giving Ochako a glimpse of his less than favorable opinion of the man. When the brunette popped an eyebrow at him, Izuku responded by mouthing ‘later’ back to her.

 

Staring out at the Pacific, Izuku could feel Ochako appreciating the view of Ground Zero and Endeavor in person for the first time. 

 

Whereas Deku featured a rather streamlined design that favored speed and power in its physical attacks, the other two Jaeger clearly were equipped heavily with enough artillery to eviscerate just about anything in their paths.

 

Ground Zero was a sporty orange and black design with red and green accents here and there. The most noticeable feature on its frame were the two oversized forearms that seemed to house a plethora of weaponry in each. Its glowing, red eyes were framed by an angular headpiece, with several spikes jutting out back behind its head.

 

Endeavor was roughly the same size as All Might had been before the redesign, featuring a top-heavy design that favored more punches and weapon-based attacks. Considering the fact that the Jaeger was holding enough propellant to fuel a fleet of jets, it was well equipped to dole out the numerous fire-based attacks that the Jaeger was best known for.

 

Enji grunted approvingly.  **“Good to hear you can still behave yourself, Midoriya.”**

 

“Yes, sir. Good to be running with you and Shoto today.”

 

**“Well, we’ll see how you feel after we deal with these Noumu. I’m sure you all share our concerns.”**

 

Izuku and Ochako nodded in unison, with Ochako speaking up. “We’ve never seen a double event before, huh?”

 

Kirishima’s voice crackled in.  **“This’ll be the first and hopefully last.”**

 

“Still,” Izuku added, “the fact that this is happening so soon after the last and the fact that they’re headed straight for the Shatterdome…”

 

**“Questions for later, Midoriya. Check your two o’clock, Noumu inbound.”**

 

Deku readjusted, facing toward the East and watching as two large ripples in the water sped toward the trio of Jaegers.

 

**“Form up, Deku, you take up the center position. Ground Zero, you and I will provide ranged support and try and split the two of these things up.”**

 

“Yes, sir,” was the unanimous reply from the rest of the rangers.

 

No sooner had Deku gotten into position than the two Noumu broke through the water. 

 

Most surprising to Izuku was the fact that the two looked nearly identical, which was alarming in and of itself, as no two Noumu had looked this similar thus far. Certainly, there were similar factors across the board; the blue, almost black skin, the rips in musculature, the partially exposed braincase.

 

But this… The two were both rather sleek in design, with red eyes that nearly glowed with malice. There was hardly any noticeable detail other than the lanky limbs that hung unnaturally and the devastating claws the jutted from each hand. 

 

Each Noumu let out a sickening screech before charging at the three Jaegers.

 

Deku responded first, sticking its right arm out and lowering its hand, exposing the inner joints of the wrist. A large spike slid out of the inner forearm, aligning itself in the hidden chute before firing straight at the Noumu closer to Deku. A reel in Deku’s arm hissed as the long, dense wire connected to the hook shot out at an alarming speed before finding purchase in between the monster’s shoulder and chest. With a groaning of motors and engines, Deku yanked back, throwing the Noumu off balance and separating it from its twin.

 

While Deku dealt with the first Noumu, Endeavor’s hands were already glowing red hot, aiming a furious punch toward the head of the second Noumu while it was caught off guard by the attack on its twin. There was an initial impact followed by howling as the Noumu’s skin bubbled and hissed.

 

The monster recoiled from the impact and straight into the fully loaded and waiting arm gauntlets of Ground Zero. There was only a millisecond of waiting before the Noumu was blown backward indiscriminately, creating shockwaves that rippled throughout the water and sending spray in every direction.

 

Katsuki cackled on his end of the line.  **“Is that all these fuckers have? It’s gonna be an early lunch at this rate!”**

 

**“Don’t get cocky-”** Enji was cut off as the same Noumu reappeared, noticeably lighter in color and slightly smaller than it had been before. 

 

Endeavor was quickly overwhelmed as the Noumu used its superior speed to wrap itself around the Jaeger. There was a crunching of metal as claws dug into the joints around Endeavor’s shoulders. 

 

**“Shit!”** Izuku heard Shoto hiss, making it the first verbal contribution Enji’s son and co-pilot had made thus far.

 

**“Activating heating coils!”** Enji announced before the joints began glowing bright red and the Noumu had no choice but to rip itself away. 

 

As soon as the beast had removed itself, several things happened at once; first, Endeavor activated its coolant system, the telltale cloud of vaporized gas as liquid nitrogen flooded the overheated joints. Next, the charred Noumu seemed to writhe angrily for a moment before clawing at its own flesh and seeming to shed its skin, revealing an even lighter skin tone underneath that was completely devoid of any signs of burning.

 

Ground Zero moved in next, getting up close to the Noumu and leveling an attack at the beast while it was distracted. Katsuki’s voice could be immediately heard, shouting at the Noumu to  **“Shrug this off, you lizard fucker!”**

 

There was a flurry of motion and a barrage of smoke, ash, and the telltale shockwaves of explosives being fired off as Ground Zero peppered the Noumu with ammunition. 

 

Izuku returned his focus to the Noumu he and Ochako were currently grappling with. If this thing could just shed its skin and regenerate, then the only surefire way to deal with it would be to remove the source of its cognition. 

 

“I was thinking the same thing,” Ochako murmured. “Let’s finish this thing off for good.”

 

Thankfully, the Noumu was relatively distracted clawing at the harpoon imbedded in its arm, unable to shed its skin while the sharp, backward-facing spikes of the spear prevented removal.

 

“Activating Air Force concussive blast,” Izuku announced, shifting the Jaeger’s left arm into the powerful weapon. It was aimed at the Noumu’s head, a series of lights flashing in the terminal of Deku’s cockpit before both Izuku and Ochako tensed their hands in unison and the blast was fired, sending a burst of highly concentrated air ripping through the Noumu and removing its head cleanly from above its shoulders. 

 

Both pilots sighed contentedly, with Izuku unconsciously remarking on how easy that had been.

 

Returning their focus to the second Noumu, both pilots noticed that the monster was significantly lighter in addition to being much faster than it had been just a few minutes ago. 

 

Endeavor seemed to be slowing down, its joints sparking with effort as the ruined chassis groaned with every movement.

 

Ground Zero was just barely holding on. Thankfully the mech had one of the hardest shells of any Jaeger, being nigh impenetrable by anything, requiring the protective layer of metals and alloys to reinforce it against all of its close-range ballistic attacks. But that didn’t mean it was invincible; the Noumu, having been slower before and a much easier target, now seemed to have gained a significant amount of speed, slipping through Ground Zero’s defenses and testing its joints with its razor-sharp claws.

 

_ ‘Does it get faster when it sheds its skin?’ _

 

“Maybe,” Ochako responded to Izuku’s internal question. “But then, how do those two beat it? They’re all about incinerating and blasting away.”

 

Suddenly, a claw plunged into Deku’s lower back, shocking the two pilots who turned to see the first Noumu back on its feet. 

 

Izuku blinked in surprise, quickly activating the twin blades from Deku’s right wrist and plunging them into the Noumu’s arm, using the leverage to free them from the monster’s claws.

 

“But how? Its head!?” Ochako protested as she put some distance between Deku and the Noumu.

 

As if on cue, two new red eyes appeared in the middle of the Noumu’s chest, blinking to life and staring angrily at Deku.

 

“Right, uh, Ground Zero, Endeavor, how are you guys doing? Cause this Noumu just grew a new face.” Izuku turned around to look at the other two Jaegers who were fighting desperately to hold off their Noumu.

 

**“How does it look like we’re doing!?”** Katsuki shouted, shrugging off another couple of lightning-fast slashes as Endeavor struggled to keep up at all.

 

Deku leaped back to avoid a lunge from the first Noumu as Izuku thought of anything that could stop these things. 

 

So far, incineration didn’t do it, neither did simply blasting the Noumus away. Plus, after the first failed beheading, there was no guarantee a second would finish the job.

 

If only they could isolate them and just remove any possibility of regeneration…

 

Izuku heard Enji hiss in frustration.  **“Liquid nitrogen is leaking! Shoto, shut off production, we can’t risk freezing over.”**

 

**“Right.”**

 

Ochako’s eyes widened as she felt the idea forming in Izuku’s head. “That could work.”

 

Izuku nodded, directing his attention to the commlink. “Endeavor, work with Ground Zero to get in as close as you can to that Noumu and dump your reserve of liquid nitrogen on it. If it's frozen, it can’t regenerate. Then Ground Zero, once it’s frozen, blast it to hell!”

 

**“That-”** Enji sounded like he’s wanted to protest before the words died in his throat.  **“That could work, actually. Shoto, can you dump the reserves once we’re in close enough?”**

 

**“Yeah, I’m on it.”**

 

Enji grunted.  **“Good. Now, Bakugo, Kirishima, let’s finish this bastard off.”**

 

**“Got it!”** The two pilots shouted in unison, letting the Noumu get in close so they could grab onto its limbs and hold it in place. The Noumu shrieked in confusion at Ground Zero’s change in attack style and struggled against the Jaeger as Endeavor lumbered closer.

 

A hatch on Endeavor’s shoulder opened, the liquid nitrogen beginning to pool out as Endeavor adjusted the valves to turn it into a directional stream. The Noumu’s skin bubbled and hissed as it began to freeze over until the shrieks died as it ceased moving entirely. 

 

Endeavor stumbled back, putting some space between itself and what was about to come.

 

**“Alright you shit, time to go to hell!** **_AP SHOT!”_ ** Katsuki roared opening Ground Zero’s palm as a series of valves were released and a concentrated cone of flame and force erupted, shattering the Noumu until only small chunks remained.

 

Kirishima laughed happily, a touch of relief in his voice.  **“It worked! Endeavor, are you alright?”**

 

**“Yeah, but we’re just about dead in the water, you’re going to have to help Deku on your own.”**

 

Izuku chuckled. “Thanks, we’d appreciate it, this thing isn’t slowing down!”

 

Deku groaned with effort as Full Cowling increased the flow of power through its limbs, boosting its speed to keep up with the attacks of the Noumu. 

 

“Deku is slowing down!” Ochako shouted, noticing the levels of fuel beginning to drop. 

 

Izuku cursed. “It must have hit a fuel line, we definitely could use the help, please!”

 

Ground Zero bounded over, the waves splashing around its feet as it fired some smaller missiles at the Noumu to get its attention and throw it off balance. 

 

**“Deku, how big of a blast can you manage with that air cannon of yours?”** Katsuki asked, quickly grabbing for the Noumu’s flailing arm and yanking it in close for another barrage of heat and explosions.

 

Izuku shared a look with Ochako before nodding. “Let’s find out.”

 

**“Alright, get reading for the toss, then blast the face!”**

 

The black and orange Jaeger took hold of the Noumu’s arms again, this time pulling it around and letting it go in the path of Deku’s ready attack.

 

Deku’s pilots increased the power in their attack as high as it would go, ignoring the flashing warning lights and let loose an attack.

 

All at once, the Noumu’s torso was eviscerated as Deku’s arm recoiled with the force of the concussive blast. Sparks flew and metal sheared away from its wrist before the limb fell down limp and useless.

 

Four splashes filled the air as each of the Noumu’s four dismembered limbs fell to the water without a body to be attached to.

 

**“Is that… it?”** Kirishima ventured.  **“Did we win?”**

 

Katsuki groaned.  **“Don’t jinx it, you idiot.”**

 

The three Jaegers stood at the ready, waiting for another attack that… didn’t come.

 

Minutes went by in silence, and when it became apparent no follow up attack was coming, all of them stood down.

 

**“Well done, everyone,”** Enji commented when all three Jaegers began stumbling back to base.

 

Katsuki snorted.  **“Yeah, whatever. Just doing our jobs.”**

 

Izuku sighed quietly, trying not to let his silent, relieved laughter be heard.

 

**“Hey, Deku.”** The way he said it made Izuku realize Katsuki was talking directly to him.

 

“What’s up, Kacchan?”

 

**“...Good job today.”**

 

Izuku felt an unexpected wave of relief at the sincerity in Katsuki’s voice. Some of the wall that the blonde boy had built between them, in addition to the animosity that had been directed toward him felt… lessened somehow.

 

“Thanks, you too.”

 

The blonde scoffed.  **“Yeah, I know. Now let’s get back, I’m starving.”**

 

Ochako smiled at Izuku warmly. “Agreed.”

 

* * *

 

Aizawa sighed in relief as the lights signaling the Noumu attack were shut off and the all-clear was issued. It had been stressful enough the last couple of attacks being stuck watching the maniac drug dealer rather than in the control room where he knew he could do some good. But to get a double event that was headed directly for the Shatterdome?

 

That had been excruciating.

 

An unexpected result of the attack was the first, real reaction from Shigaraki-the only name the man had given them-in days.

 

He had seemed almost… smug as the Noumu began bearing down on the base as if he was a child waiting for his parents to come and scold the other children on the playground. The dealer had put down his game controller and sat up straight, raptly listening for any announcement.

 

Then, when the all-clear had been given, his composure slipped further. His face had dropped, looking afraid for the first time since his capture.

 

He’d spent the first couple of minutes after the alarms gave the all-clear pacing his room, muttering the word ‘o’ over and over like his own personal mantra. The steady stream was punctuated only by phrases such as, “This can’t be happening,” or, “It’s not supposed to happen like this.”

 

The only word he said as often as “No,” however, was the word “Master.”

 

Aizawa steepled his fingers, resting his chin against them. Who would this low-life defer to that reverently, and why was he disappointed by the Noumu attack failing?

 

It raised more questions than answers, but at the very least, it confirmed the rising suspicion that Trigger was somehow linked to the Noumu in some way. In  _ what _ way was still a mystery, but this was a crumb he would hang onto.

 

The phone ringing interrupted Aizawa’s silent contemplation, pulling him back to reality. He gave Shigaraki one last look over before answering the line. “Hello?”

 

“Aizawa, it’s Shuzenji.”

 

The man hummed. “Hey Doc, any news?”

 

The older woman grunted irritatedly. “Yeah, I’ve got news. First, I need a goddamn paid vacation after this shit, and second, you’re gonna want to come down here as soon as you can.”

 

“What’s going on?” This sounded interesting.

 

Doctor Shuzenji huffed. “We’re finding some weird crap here from our cross-examination. I can’t explain it over the phone. Get down here. Now.”

 

Aizawa flinched as the line went dead. 

 

This couldn’t be good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up! Thanks, Mack and Titus for beta reading this


	12. Corrosion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is revealed

Aizawa leaned over the trash can and finished emptying the last of his breakfast. 

 

“I didn’t tell you the news would be good,” Dr. Shuzenji chastised. “I don’t even know how to go about continuing from here, this is…”

 

“Horrifying?” Aizawa supplied, wiping his mouth and shakily making his way toward a chair. 

 

The doctor sighed tiredly. She had been at this longer than most, being one of the medical professionals to predate the Noumu attacks and moving to pioneer the biological study of the monsters. She was the foremost mind in her field and the Shatterdome was lucky to have her.

 

That was also why when she delivered her findings to Aizawa, he had no choice but to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt she was correct.

 

“How do I even start to explain this to the others? This completely changes everything we understand or think. Not to mention the ethical implications.” He ran a hand over his face. “God, the reparations the UN is going to have to make.”

 

The older woman scoffed. “I’ll leave that to the politicians. My job is to learn as much as I can, and I’m telling you this now, once this is published, I’m retiring.”

 

“I might follow your example, this shit keeps getting worse and worse.” He stood up and collected the report. “I’m going to have to contact top brass about this, they’re likely going to call on you for an interview.”

 

She waved a hand dismissively. “I know, sonny, I know. I’m no stranger to military bullshit.”

 

“Thanks, Doc.” Aizawa waved and headed toward the door.

 

“You need some rest, Shota.” 

 

He chuckled. “After this news, I don’t think I’ll be able to any time soon.”

 

* * *

 

It was rare to have a meeting of all the Jaeger pilots in Japan called, rarer still to see so many of the higher-ups in the military there to partake in it. Izuku glanced around at each of the screens, seeing screens with various politicians tuning in for the meeting.

 

Whatever this was, it was big.

 

Izuku spotted Kirishima and Katsuki sitting at their assigned seats around the large, circular table and noticed his and Ochako’s nameplates just next to theirs. As the two settled in next to Katsuki, Izuku leaned over. “Do you know what’s going on?”

 

“No idea, but whatever this is it’s got me on edge. I don’t like this shit.”

 

Ochako nodded. “Agreed.” 

 

The four younger pilots sat quietly as the Tenya Iida joined them, followed by Shoto Todoroki and the young heiress and representative of Yaoyorozu Corp. Momo was her name if Izuku remembered correctly. She took a seat next to Tensei and crossed her arms, looking just as confused as the rest of them as to why she was there.

 

Soon enough, the various pilots of the Pacific outposts joined; Nejire Hado and Ryuko Tatsuma of Team Ryukyu as well as Tamaki Amajiki and Mirio Togata of Team Suneater.

 

Finally, they were joined by the Marshals Todoroki and Toshinori, followed closely by Tensei, Melissa, Hatsume, Doctor Shuzenji, and Aizawa.

 

Izuku had to stop himself from calling out to the man he hadn’t seen in weeks. He assumed the reason for his absence would be explained shortly. He kept trying to catch Toshinori’s eye, but the older man seemed distant, looking gaunt for the first time in a while since he’d started his recovery.

 

This was bad.

 

“Thank you all for coming,” Aizawa started, “I know this was quite the journey for some of you, but we wouldn’t call you here if it weren’t of the utmost importance. I’d like to begin this meeting by telling you all that what I’m about to disclose is highly confidential. Were it to leak to the public, there would be mass hysteria. I trust I can count on the discretion of those here.”

 

There was a collective murmur of assent and Aizawa continued.

 

“There’s no easy way to say it, so I’ll let the findings speak for themselves.” Aizawa pressed the button on a remote and a screen turned on, with an image of two strands of DNA appearing. “When it comes to the field of biology, I’m afraid I’m out of my depth, so I turn this next portion over to Doctor Shuzenji.”

 

The older woman rose from her chair, adjusting her glasses and clearing her throat. “In my time studying the Noumu threat, I’ve made a number of disturbing finds, including the similarities of Noumu to humans. They share our general structure when it comes to the brain, consisting of two hemispheres, with the functioning lobes in relatively similar positions. This, in of itself, gave us insight into the Noumus’ capacity for adaptation and function. This was surprising, but if the Noumu were alien in nature, it might suggest a larger threat beyond our comprehension, in addition to the frightening implications of life outside of Earth.”

 

Izuku blinked. This was…

 

Ochako gripped his hand, holding it tight as he felt her quiver a bit with fear and confusion.

 

At least he wasn’t alone.

 

“Let me cut straight to the chase. There’s a lot of medical jargon I could spout out, but that doesn’t help anyone understand what I’m trying to say. Plain and simple; Noumu  _ are _ human.”

 

The room was silent before breaking out into a frenzy of chattering as various people all tried to ask questions at once. 

 

“Quiet!” Toshinori boomed, surprising everyone. “Let Doctor Shuzenji finish.”

 

The woman nodded. “Thank you. Now, I know that’s a lot to swallow.”

 

“It’s goddamn impossible!” Katsuki protested. “Those things aren’t human! You’ve seen them!”

 

“I’m afraid that at the very least, the Noumu  _ were _ , at one point, human beings. I’ve tried over and over again to disprove my own findings, but this is the only conclusion I can come to. From what I can tell, they’ve been changed somehow, engineered into these things by some other force. Insofar as I can tell, while these things are alien in the sense that we’ve never seen anything like them before, they come from the earth, not outer space.”

 

Tenya removed his glasses, setting them down gently and looking down. “But… how do you make those things from… people?”

 

Aizawa stood up. “This is where I come in. For the past few months, I’ve been researching a lead into a street drug called Trigger. It came to our attention when one of our liaisons in the police came to us. According to their forensics lab, Trigger had higher trace elements of Noumu material than any other drug on the street. Its potency is no joke, and it’s gotten a reputation for being powerful stuff.”

 

Amajiki shook his head, looking a little green. “Oh god, all those vitality recipes with Noumu bones that people got into… those were human bones.”

 

“Unfortunately yes,” Aizawa responded. “While these types of drugs aren’t uncommon, this one raised concern. We brought the drug back here for further study and discovered that the elements of Trigger could only be harvested from a Noumu at the source, while it’s still alive. The hormone used normally degrades almost immediately after death, making extraction impossible even for our teams. We’re still unsure exactly how the two link, but it’s safe to assume that the source of Trigger is likely the source of the Noumu.”

 

Izuku could feel himself reeling from the news. He had so many questions, but the first thing that kept popping into his head was one, singular realization; he had killed  _ people. _ Not monsters.

 

_ People. _

 

He wanted to throw up.

 

Tatsuma raised her hand. “I don’t think I’m alone in finding this difficult to accept. Some of my fellow pilots likely are having a difficult time coming to terms with the implications of this… new information.”

 

“I understand, and we’re going to do everything we can to try and answer all of your questions.”

 

Momo raised her hand. “Do we have any leads on the source of the drugs?”

 

Aizawa nodded. “Fortunately yes. When I was undercover, I managed to track down the ringleader of the dealers who distribute Trigger on the streets. He’s been tightlipped up until recently, but following the attack that Endeavor, Deku, and Ground Zero stopped, he’s seemed more on edge. I believe that once I bring this information up to him, we’ll have what we need to force a confession.”

 

Mirio stood up abruptly. “Well then what are we waiting for!?” Izuku had always like the other pilot, he had an air of joviality around him, but right now the blonde man looked furious. “People are being tortured and turned into those things! Why aren’t we hunting them down already?”

 

Aizawa sighed. “If it were that simple, we’d have done it already. We wanted to bring this to your attention as soon as possible. We fully intend to get our confession, but there’s loyalty here with this man. Whoever he works for has worked hard to either gain his trust or fear.”

 

Shoto hummed. “If he can create monsters, I’m not surprised. So you think those two Noumu the other day were… what? His rescuers?”

 

“That’s exactly what we think.”

 

Izuku clenched his jaw, trying to focus himself on calming down. He felt Ochako’s hand in his and her other hand on his arm, doing all she could to quiet the storm that she could likely tell was raging inside him.

 

“We need to sit in on the interrogation,” Ochako announced. “I think it would help us all a lot to put a face to the real enemy. Can we do that now?”

 

Aizawa blinked. “Well… yes. It might be a little cramped, but… let’s go.”

 

The assembled pilots all stood up and began following after Aizawa while Toshinori, Enji, Momo, and Tensei finished talking to the various senators and ambassadors on the screens.

 

Izuku shared a look with Ochako, who squeezed his hand tightly. 

 

“There’s no way we could have known.”

 

He shook his head. “Doesn’t make it any easier to stomach.”

 

“I’m with you, Midoriya,” Ryuko added, clearly having overheard the pair talking. “But we can’t blame ourselves. These people… the Noumu… they shouldn’t be forced to continue living like that; having to attack people like mindless beasts.”

 

Izuku sighed. “I know, but…”

 

Mirio put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “She’s right. I’m as angry as you are, we all are, but all we can do now is make sure that no one else is subjected to this torment, whatever it is.”

 

“Keep your chin up, Deku,” Katsuki added, “we still need to win this war.”

 

Izuku forced a weak smile before turning to Ochako, whose eyes somehow managed to calm his heart, even when the rest of his mind was screaming with horror.

 

“I’m ready for this to be over.”

 

* * *

 

Ochako hung back, standing next to Nejire as Izuku paced in front of her, muttering up a stream.

 

“Is he always like that?” Nejire asked quietly.

 

She frowned. “Yeah but usually he’s not this intense.”

 

Nejire hummed. “Can’t say I blame him.”

 

Katsuki glared at the three. “Will you shut up? He’s about to start.”

 

Sure enough, the door on the other side of the one-way mirror opened and Aizawa entered the room where the dealer, Shigaraki, was lounging. Ochako felt her blood boil at how  _ comfortable _ the dealer looked. 

 

“So, Shigaraki.”

 

“What’s up? How can I help you today?”

 

Aizawa set a file down on the table in the room. “Well, it’s simple really. Tell me how your boss is turning people into Noumu.”

 

The entire viewing room held their collective breaths as the dealer shambled over to the file, leafing through it and not betraying his emotions as he read through it. 

 

Suddenly, the man’s face broke into a wide grin. “Took you long enough.”

 

“So you’re not denying it?” Aizawa asked calmly.  _ How _ he was able to stay calm was a mystery to Ochako, but she had to hand it to the man.

 

Shigaraki shrugged. “No point, this all checks out. Whoever’s working for you clearly knows their shit.”

 

“So, Trigger has something to do with it?”

 

The dealer scoffed. “It has more than just  _ something  _ to do with it. It has  _ everything  _ to do with it! Come on, I thought you had this all figured out?”

 

Aizawa crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. “If I had it all figured out, we wouldn’t be talking. We know enough to get the ball rolling but you’re going to finish connecting the dots for us.”

 

“Well, it’s genius really,” Shigaraki started. “Make a drug that people crave, infuse that drug with the mutagens necessary to turn someone into a mutated monster, get them hooked, and if they survive, boom!” He clapped his hands together and began cackling.

 

“ _ If _ they survive?”

 

The other man took a steadying breath, wiping a tear from his eye as he slowed his laughter. “I mean, people go missing all the time, people on the edges of society even more so. Who’s gonna notice when a junkie dies? We have people who keep tabs and if they croak after a few hits of Trigger, we dispose of the body. Simple, really.”

 

Aizawa scowled. “And I’m guessing if they survive the doses of Trigger, they’re prime for picking?”

 

“Give the tired man a prize! Really, you do look tired, officer. Do you not drink coffee?”

 

“Answer the damn question.”

 

Shigaraki groaned. “Oh come on, you just answered it yourself!  _ Yes. _ We keep tabs on the junkies who survive enough doses of Trigger. Nine times out of ten, they’re prime candidates for the full mutation process. The Trigger starts it slowly, laying down all the groundwork for my master. By the time they’re done with the trial period, they’re primed for the picking.”

 

The observation room had, until that point, been relatively silent as the pilots stood there shocked. That was until Katsuki threw himself at the door, requiring the combined efforts of Kirishima, Izuku, and Mirio to hold him back. 

 

**_“Let me go I’m gonna fucking kill him!”_ **

 

Izuku grunted. “Kacchan, I get it, but wait!”

 

**_“Let me go, Deku! I don’t give a shit!”_ **

 

“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me how to find your  _ master _ , will you?” Aizawa asked, redirecting Ochako’s attention from the sounds of Izuku and Kirishima trying to calm Katsuki down.

 

“Where’s the fun in that? Odds are, he’ll send some more Noumu for you pretty soon.” Shigaraki walked back to his cot and laid down, looking smugger than he had any right to be.

 

Aizawa collected the file and looked down his nose at the dealer. “What’s his plan, then? To keep sending mutated humans at us? What does he gain from that?”

 

Shigaraki shut his eyes, resting his head back. “Everything.”

 

* * *

 

Ochako shut the door quietly behind her as she and Izuku returned to the man’s room. Her partner had been quiet the whole way back from watching the interrogation. Most of the pilots had been invited to stay on base until the following day when they would head back to their respective outposts.

 

This… hadn’t been at all what she had expected to be the source of the Noumu. Likely some conspiracy theorists out there would throw a wild celebration when their theory proved to be correct. The topic of their origins was widely debated, with most believing they were some sort of alien entity or lost race of megafauna. 

 

Ochako hadn’t given it too much thought, personally going with the alien theory when asked but otherwise only focusing on the Noumus’ need to be stopped.

 

To think that all this time…

 

“Hey,” Izuku broached softly, “how are you holding up?”

 

She smiled weakly. “I could ask you the same thing. You’re taking this pretty hard, huh?”

 

He took a shuddering breath, his whole body noticeably trembling. “I think we all are. How do we come back from this? From now on I’m only going to see people when we fight them. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to-”

 

Ochako placed her hands around the sides of Izuku’s face, trying to steady him as best she could while she herself was also shaking. “We can’t let them carry on like that. I don’t think they can be brought back once they become… those things.” 

 

“Yeah, I know, but it’s not gonna make it any easier.” Izuku shut his eyes, leaning into Ochako’s touch and gently draping his good hand around her wrist.

 

She nodded, bringing his head in so that she could rest her forehead against his. “We have to be strong for them, for all of them. We have to stop whoever is responsible and make sure this never happens to anyone else ever again. But in order to do that, we have to be strong, can you be strong for me, Izuku?”

 

“...I can. I promise, Ochako.”

 

She felt the corners of her mouth quirk up just a bit. “That’s my partner.” When she opened her eyes, she noticed the tears had already begun flowing from Izuku’s eyes again. Ochako moved her thumbs to wipe them away, planting gentle kisses on each of his cheeks before bringing her lips softly up to his for a brief kiss that she hoped conveyed how much she cared for him.

 

Although… right now…

 

“Hey, Izuku?”

 

He hummed in response.

 

“I love you.”

 

His eyes opened, looking at her with a hint of surprise.

 

“I know it might not be the best time, but right now I just… I needed to let you know how much I love you, Izuku Midoriya.”

 

He smiled for the first, real time since they had been in that meeting and nodded, bringing his own hands up to cup her face.  His eyes appraised her as if he was looking at her for the first time again. “I was wondering which one of us would get up the courage to say it out loud first.” 

 

His smile broadened and fresh tears began forming in his eyes. “I love you too, Ochako Uraraka, with everything I have to give.”

 

The two moved into a tight embrace, hanging onto one another and getting as close as they could manage.

 

“You’re right, Ochako, we’re gonna stop whoever is responsible. We’re going to end this once and for all.” He leaned back to look at her face again. “Together.”

 

She nodded. “Together.”

 

* * *

 

The doctor looked up at his master, noting the agitated way he was standing. “Sir?”

 

“Tomura has been gone for too long. I don’t like it.” He removed his glove, putting a hand to his chin. “I fear that the forces that oppose us may attempt to stop our progress more directly.”

 

“How would you like to handle it then, sir?”

 

The man hummed thoughtfully, his deep voice resonating through the operating studio. “I think it might be time to put phase two into action.”

 

The doctor blinked. “You mean the category fours?”

 

He nodded. “The category fours. It’s time to show this world that we mean business.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been sitting on this for a while, wanting to first build up the characters and the story before revealing the true nature of the Noumu in this story. I chose not to call them Kaiju for a reason, and this was it.  
> Sorry if it comes across overly grimdark or edgy or whatever, I just wanted to utilize that sort of terrifying aspect of the Noumu in canon where you have to remember they were at one point normal people.  
> I feel that beyond just needing to save the world, this raises the stakes and the sense of urgency for the main cast.  
> Anyway!  
> I hope the chapter reads well, I had a difficult time trying to map it out so I conveyed everything I felt was necessary  
> I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

**Author's Note:**

> Come on down to Discord Town where Epsilon110 let me carve out my own little nook on his server
> 
>  
> 
> [check it out](https://discord.gg/3FmREtg)


End file.
